Friday, April 20, 2007

Why don´t I get static shock when I touch somethings like a wall or a tree or door?

Shocks are only felt if your body is charged to over about 4000V, and you touch something conductive.

If the wall or door is made of wood, concrete or some other material that has low or intermediate conductivity, any static charge on your body escapes slowly and does not cause a shock. In contrast if you touch metal, water, or another person when your body is highly charged, the charge is discharged quickly as the material is highly conductive. In this case you may feel a shock.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi-I didn't see an a-mail for you but I have begun writing a blog for a company specializing in esd products. We're trying to get our blog going so if you ever want to use it or take a look - here's the site
http://blog.all-spec.com/

Thanks!

Unknown said...

Hi, Not a comment but a plea for HELP! I live in Fl. and the past few yrs. whenever its cold out, I am constantly getting shocked when I touch many things and we are going to be moving to NC soon and I need to know what I can do to prevent this "shock" especially when I go out? Sincerely, Jackie

Corinne said...

Hi,
I wasn't sure how to email you to ask a question so I will just post it here. My fourth grade students and I are wondering why you can't discharge the static from your clothing my touching it to something metal. Also, is there anything you CAN do to get rid of the static on your clothing?
Thanks!

Static Doctor said...

The static is building up on your clothing because it is an insulating material - in simple terms a material which does not allow charge to move. Similarly when you touch the material to a metal it does not discharge - because it does not allow the charge to move.
You can treat the material with an antistatic spray which may help. Sometimes washing the clothing with a conditioner can help