Why do we often see small lightning in winter?

Staticness is a physical phenomenon that we often encounter in everyday life. This phenomenon is sometimes very noticeable as it makes your hair erect. The cold and dry winter months are a time when we have a lot of troubles because of static electricity, they can release small lightning strikes when we touch the doorknob or touch a new warm blanket.

Static electricity is one of the oldest scientific phenomena observed and described by humans. The Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus was the first to discover this phenomenon. In his records from the end of the 6th century BC, he described that if rubbing the amber stones strong enough, sand particles would begin to stick to it. 300 years later, Theophratus continued the experiment of Thales with different rocks and also concluded a "gravitational force". But neither of these philosophers found a satisfactory answer to this phenomenon.

It was nearly 2,000 years later that the word "electricity" was created based on the Latin word for "electricus", which also means "like a tiger ." One of the most famous experiments on electricity belonged to Benjamin Franklin when he explored the properties of electricity, which is also the reason why his portrait was printed on the US $ 100 bill. After that, people quickly realized the great potential of electricity.

Of course, in the 18th century, people almost exclusively used static electricity in magic tricks or other entertainment. For example, Stephen Gray's "flying boy experiment" became a famous performance. The boy was hung on a silk cord, then Gray used the Layden bottle to charge the boy. As a result, he could flip through each page of static electricity, or pick up small objects with just electrostatic attraction.

"Flying boy experiment" by Stephen Gray.(Image: Christian August Hausen)

Based on Franklin's research, which includes both the benefits and disadvantages of electrostatic charge and the fact that the charge is always balanced, we now know the cause of static electricity at the atomic level. In addition, we also discovered why small lightning strikes occur and how to avoid the hassle from them with modern technology.

Where did the small lightning come from?

Electrostatic charge will result in an interaction force between charges. At the atomic level, negative charges are elementary particles called electrons. Most electrons are inside the matter, whether it is an inanimate stone or a living creature. However, there are also many electron particles on the surface of matter. Different types of matter will have different electron distributions on the surface. If the two surfaces are rubbed together, the electron can jump from the "weaker" matter surface to the material surface that has a greater attraction.

These electron movements are frequent and they are the small lightning bolts we see. For example, when playing on a slide, wiping your feet on the carpet or when you take off your wool gloves to shake someone's hand, for example.

But if you pay attention you'll see this phenomenon more often during the dry and cold winters, when the air is very low humidity. Dry air is an insulating layer, while moist air can conduct electricity better. This phenomenon takes place as follows: In dry air, electrons will be trapped on the surface with a greater attraction. Unlike in humid air, electrons in dry air cannot find their way back to their physical surface and they cannot return to an equilibrium of charge.

Lightning occurs when an object that has a negative charge on the surface comes close to another object that lacks a negative charge and that the amount of the negative charge is large enough to make an "jump" of the electron. Electrons will jump from many places, like on a friend after rubbing their feet on a wool carpet, to where there aren't many electrons, like a door handle.

You will feel a little sting when the electron "jumps".(Photo: Muhammed Ibrahim).

When the electron has nowhere to flow, static electricity will continue to rise on the surface to a limit and emit as a small lightning bolt. For example, when you hold out your finger, the electron will follow it with a small bolt of lightning and you will certainly feel it.

Are these small lightning bolts strong?

Although sometimes troublesome, but the amount of electricity when static electricity is often quite small and harmless. Its voltage can be 100 times that of power outlets. However, large voltages are not a cause for concern because voltages are only a measure of the difference in charge between objects. The most interesting thing is the strength of the current, which is an indicator of the amount of electrons moving. In lightning generated by static electricity only a few electrons move, so these lightning rays are quite harmless.

However, these small lightning bolts can damage sensitive electronic components such as hardware in computers. Even a very small current with a few electrons can accidentally "cook " computer components. That is why workers assembling electronic components must always be "grounded". "Grounding" means that you are connected to the ground by a wire, this wire is like a highway for electrons to return to "home" . You can also "ground" yourself by touching the metal or holding the key in your hand. Metal is a very good conductor of electricity, so electrons will be "very happy" to move to this material.

A potential hazard is the occurrence of sparks where flammable gas is present. Therefore, all gas stations require you to "ground" yourself before touching the gas pump, otherwise sparks can ignite gas vapors in the air. Or you can also invest in an antistatic bracelet that often used by computer assemblers. They prevent electrical charge by wrapping around the wrist with conductive materials.

Workers assembling electronic components often wear anti-static rings when working to avoid damaging the device.(Photo: shutterstock.com).

In everyday life, the best way to reduce static is to use an air humidifier, while keeping your skin moisturized with moisturizers. Using fabric softener to soften the fabric, avoiding the fabric to be too dry after washing and drying is also quite a useful way. You can also apply fabric softener to the carpet to avoid static electricity. Last and not least, wear cotton clothing and leather loafers instead of woolen and rubber loafers.

Take advantage of static electricity

Although they can be quite annoying and have certain dangers, they will certainly have benefits.

Many modern technologies today rely on static electricity. For example, photo printers and photocopiers use static electricity as a "glue" to attach ink to paper. An air purifier not only eliminates odors but also removes airborne dirt with static electricity.

Similarly, the chimneys of modern factories use charged plates to reduce the amount of waste that is released into the environment. When smoke rises up the pipe, they will receive negatively charged particles from the metal mesh. After being charged, they will be stuck to the metal plate on the other side of the pipe that has a positive charge. Finally, the dust particles from the exhaust gas are collected and sent to separate treatment.

Static electricity helps to clean the exhaust from the factory.(Photo: Muhammed Ibrahim).

Static electricity is also used in nanotechnology, such as to capture individual atoms with a laser beam. These atoms have many different purposes in computational applications. Another application of electrostatic charge in nanotechnology is the control of nanotubes. Electrostatic charge can control the state of nanoballs that inflate or collapse. These studies are likely to be applied to future human body tissues.

Static electricity has been discovered for more than two millennia. Although sometimes a bit annoying, it has proven to be very important in our daily lives.

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