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Author: Subject: Static charges from walking on carpets
unionised
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[*] posted on 4-3-2025 at 08:13
Static charges from walking on carpets


I'm sure most of us are well aware of this effect.
But I stumbled across this paper which tells me that it wasn't documented until 1870 (By Sir Charles Wheatstone of "bridge" fame)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/112765?seq=2

Is it just me, or would you have expected "the ancients" to know about this?
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Sulaiman
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[*] posted on 4-3-2025 at 12:52


scroll down to 'History'
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_effect




CAUTION : Hobby Chemist, not Professional or even Amateur
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[*] posted on 4-3-2025 at 15:02


The ancients knew, of course. Do you suppose that, in the 2000 years from the Greeks to Wheatstone, no carpet (or rug) owner of inquisitive disposition had ever wondered why they got zapped when touching a doorknob? Not likely.



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[*] posted on 6-3-2025 at 06:47
A very true storty


*long ago, a woman walks over a freshly swept carpet*

Alice: "My wonderful husband James, I am so glad to see you!"
*ZAP!*
James: "WITCH! SHE TWISTS THE DIVINE FORCES OF THE WORLD IN THE NAME OF SATAN!"
Alice:"No, dearest, it's simple static electricity! Look in this book!"
James:"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! SHE HAS A BOOK! SHE'S GOING TO START READING!"
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[*] posted on 1-4-2025 at 04:58


I have started to have problems with static charges lately, especially in situations with my car.
When i come home after driven a bit and touch my garage door ZAAAP! Every time now.
I even see the long spark if i slowly put a key to the garage door.
This didnt happen before and i get zapped when i walk around too, just touching a doorknob.
I think this is related to a new pair of shoes as i havent had these problems before.
Maybe they are different than other shoes in terms of electrical isolation or something.
I will do some investigating, i dont like to get zapped so many times per day.
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[*] posted on 1-4-2025 at 13:06


Sounds like you're going to need a heel grounding strap :D - or treat your shoes with a humectant, which is basically what's in all those antistatic sprays. You're old shoes would have had just high enough conductivity to dissipate the charge. It doesn't take much - you can go to 10 megaohms and still bleed off the charge fairly rapidly.




Helicopter: "helico" -> spiral, "pter" -> with wings
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