The enduring puzzle of static electricity

(pubs.aip.org)

54 points | by EvgeniyZh 3 days ago ago

4 comments

  • omnicognate 10 minutes ago

    The wikipedia page on the triboelectric effect is particularly good, and has a hilarious cat picture.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_effect

  • Peteragain 2 hours ago

    No mention of lightening! The idea that the triboelectric series is more guidelines than rules was interesting, but the metal-insulator distinction seems a bit off. Is there a triboelectric effect between two conductors? How? Why wouldn't the distribution of electrons even out in a pair of conductors, or do they mean non conducting metals? And I imagine someone has looked at triboelectric effects between crystals of varying materials - does anyone know?

  • Simon_O_Rourke 2 hours ago

    > Two experiments using the same sets of materials may yield two distinct orderings of the materials.

    A quantum static effect?