A Shocking Lesson!
Girlmoguls, I have some SHOCKing science facts I learned in school today. They’re about electricity and static. Now, I know it may seem boring, but it’s really cool and totally affects you! Read on!
Have you ever walked across the room to your door to turn the door knob and suddenly felt a shock in your hand? Or, how about touching the door of a car in the winter time and jumping back from getting shocked? What you experienced is known as static shock. People usually tend to get shocked when they touch metal objects, especially in the winter time.
Everything from your hair, hat, gloves, doorknob, car door to regular metal objects have electrical charges. Everything in the world is made of the tiniest particles of matter called atoms. Atoms can be further broken down to 3 different parts (Protons, electrons and neutrons). Protons have positive charges, electrons have negative charges, and neutrons do not have any charge. When two objects rub against one another, electrons are transferred from the atoms of one object to the other. The object gaining the electrons are now negative charged and the objects releasing the electrons are now positively charged. This unbalance of charges causes the static shock.
If you run your fingers through your hair several times and then go and touch a metal door of a car or a doorknob, there is a good chance you might get a static shock. The reason for this is as you run your fingers through your hair, you are taking some of the electrons away from the atoms in your hair strands into the atoms in your hands. Then as you touch the metal doorknob, you feel a sudden shock because you have just transferred the extra electrons from the atoms in your hand to the atoms of the doorknob.
Static shocks are usually at its peak when the temperature is cold and the air is dry. That’s why you may experience it most during the winter season. The heat inside dries the air and it can enhance the chances of getting shocked. The static goes away when the temperature gets more humid and the air is less dry. There aren’t any real health risks from getting static shocks. There are ways to get around it, so I would suggest keeping your hands moist and use lotion during the winter time. It has worked for me in the past!
Posted by GirlMogul Poppy