Electricity

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Static Charge in Real Life

We often use static charge in real life such as in insecticides, photocopiers and cleaning equipment. The build up of static charge can be dangerous as it can produce a spark when it discharges.

Which of the following is the cause of static electricity?

True or false? We can use static charge in real life situations.

If we charged insecticide spray so that all droplets had a negative charge, what would happen to the droplets if they were dropped from a great height?

How might static charge be used in photocopiers?

True or false? We can use static charge to help clean areas by removing dust.

We use static charge in a range of different situations such as spraying insecticide, photocopiers and high tech cleaning equipment.

These all rely on the principle that oppositely charged particles attract each others, whilst particles with the same charge repel each other.

Does static charge create a spark when it discharges?

True or false? The spark created by static electricity is never dangerous.

We want to reduce the risk of sparks due to static charge, by preventing the build up of static charge. Which of these would be a suitable method?

We earth the fuelling trucks which refuel aircraft carriers, because the friction force of the fuel on the pipe can cause static charge to build up. But why is a build up of static charge dangerous in fuel tanks?

The build up of static charge can be extremely dangerous because it can produce a spark when it discharges. If this happens in a flammable environment, such as around fuel, it can cause a major explosion! To combat this, we earth fuel tanks to prevent the charge building up.