The science of static electricity - Anuradha Bhagwat
View full lesson: http://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-science-of-static-electricity-anuradha-bhagwat We've all had the experience: you're walking across a soft carpet, you reach for the doorknob...
==========
It can strike without warning, at any moment. You may be walking across a soft carpet and reaching for the door knob when suddenly...zap! To understand static electricity, we first need to know a bit about the nature of matter. All matter is made up of atoms that consist of three types of smaller particles: negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons, and neutral neutrons. Normally, the electrons and protons in an atom balance out, which is why most matter you come across is electrically neutral. But electrons are tiny and almost insignificant in mass, and rubbing or friction can give loosely bound electrons enough energy to leave their atoms and attach to others, migrating between different surfaces. When this happens, the first object...
==========
It can strike without warning, at any moment. You may be walking across a soft carpet and reaching for the door knob when suddenly...zap! To understand static electricity, we first need to know a bit about the nature of matter. All matter is made up of atoms that consist of three types of smaller particles: negatively charged electrons, positively charged protons, and neutral neutrons. Normally, the electrons and protons in an atom balance out, which is why most matter you come across is electrically neutral. But electrons are tiny and almost insignificant in mass, and rubbing or friction can give loosely bound electrons enough energy to leave their atoms and attach to others, migrating between different surfaces. When this happens, the first object...
