Credit: public domain The Wimshurst machine doesn’t create static electricity out of nothing; rather, it amplifies small random charges through the process of electrostatic induction as the ...

To make static electricity you need to rub an electrically insulating object against an electrically conductive object. Balloons are made from electrically insulated materials such as rubber.

Most experts believe the Hindenburg tragedy likely hinged on fires sparked by static electricity. By better understanding the mechanisms involved, experts across industries can help make their ...

However, science has struggled with the question of what happens when rubbed surfaces create static electricity. "For the first time, we can explain a mystery that nobody could before: why rubbing ...

This current is then enough to deliver that static electricity-driven 'zap' when ... nano-scale deformations rub against each other, they create that front-back static charge that leads to a ...

Static electricity is everywhere, especially in your house. “Everyone has experienced that unexpected shock when folding laundry or touching a metal object in their home,” says John Bell ...

The researchers also decoded what causes the static electricity effect at the nanoscale ... “We’ve figured out how to make the insides of reformed polystyrene rub across each other in a ...