Why could we get a
shock when we touch another person?
Andra Bayu F. / 9C / 01
SMP Negeri 1 Mojokerto
We have to know that when we get a
shock (of electricity) from other person is normal and often happens in daily
life. But, there are many cases about extreme static electricity. Such an
Australian man called Frank Clewer. He wore a synthetic nylon jacket and a
woolen shirt when he went for a job interview. As he walked into the building,
the carpet ignited from the 40,000 volts of static electricity that had built
up. He said that its sound like a firecracker or something like that. And then
within about five minutes, the carpet started to erupt. This incident put in
mind of a Fantastic Four scene when one of the hero, Johny Storm (The Human
Torch) knew that he can make fire by himself.
Then, is Frank the one who wanna be a hero like The Human Torch?
Maybe he isn’t. In fact, Frank got
the ability from a simple general thing. Frank said that after leaving the building, he scorched a
piece of plastic in his car. His clothes were measured by firemen as carrying
an electrical charge of 40,000 volts! Imagine about that. The fire official
added, that the charge was close to being high enough to cause the items to
spontaneously combust.
How Could it happen?
To understand it, we need to know about static electricity in advance. The
term of Static Electricity refers to electricity that is actually collected on
the surface of an object. This
collection
of electricity remain on the object until it flowed into the earth or
neutralized by the release (discharge). The release is called get a shock (of
electricity).
These are the processes:
When
two objects touch each other, like a shoe that touches the carpet, a fraction
of electrons will switch to the shoe. Thus the shoe will excess of electrons
which make it negatively charged.
When
a negatively charged object touches the object which has a positively charged,
The amount of excess electrons from the negatively charged object will move to
the positively charged object to balance its charged (become neutral).
Therefore,
when you touch a door handle (which is positively charged), then the electrons
from your body will immediately move to the door handle. You can feel this
movement in the form of shock.
This
shock can be felt by a person if they touch an object which function is as a
conductor, such as metal, water or even another human body. It’s normal if we
get a shock of electricity when we touch another person because we know that
human can be electrified as electrical conductor (therefore, when we touch our
friend who was electrified, we will be electrified
too).
But, we can feel that shock if the voltages of electricity is above
4,000 V ( the body of a person has different
sensitivity to the other). If the amount of its voltage is reach to 40,000 like
Frank, we can establish fire. Amazing, right?
How could static
electricity gather (accumulate) in our body with unconsciously?
It can be in many factors, such as:
1.
The clothes
The clothes are made by wool, silk, fur, polyester, rubber,
vinyl, nylon, and other synthetic textiles which can increase the accumulation
of static electricity.
2.
The shoes and our
walking style
Do you think that I made a funny joke? This is a fact, man. If
you wear shoes that made by rubber, or plastic and your walking style by
dragging foot, or swiping foot on the floor of particular material, the
possibility of gathering static electricity becomes absolutely large.
Did you remember when you were in elementary school and you were
taught by your teacher to rub a plastic ruler in your hair? And then what did
happen to it? It can attracted small pieces of paper. That was static
electricity.
3.
Air humidity
Drier the air, bigger its static electricity.
4.
The condition of our
skin
Drier our skin, so bigger its electricity. We can prevent it by
using skin moisturizer (body lotion).
Before we touch the handle
of car, to prevent the shock of static electricity, we can touch the key first.
Electricity from our body will release through it.
If we often gain shock of static electricity, perhaps we have to
pay attention of 4 factors above.
Is the collection of
static electricity in our body dangerous?
For the direct effects, maybe not. However it could be dangerous
if there are combustible materials around us when static electricity is
released. For the examples were the experience of Frank Clewer. Again, in
Cardiff, UK, there had been an explosion of gas in the yacht that causes sever
burns of the owners of the yacht. Thought, the cause of the explosion was from
static electricity caused by their child’s soccer costume.
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