Scientists at Northwestern University may have figured out why walking on carpet in your socks, petting your furry friend, or rubbing a balloon on your hair creates static electricity. In a new study, ...

Static electricity was first observed in 600 B.C., but researchers have struggled to explain how rubbing causes it. In 2019, researchers discovered nanosized surface deformations at play. The same ...

The first documentation of static electricity dates back to 600 BCE. Even after 2,600 years’ worth of tiny shocks, however, researchers couldn’t fully explain how rubbing two objects together causes ...

Static electricity often just seems like an everyday annoyance when a wool sweater crackles as you pull it off, or when a doorknob delivers an unexpected zap. Regardless, the phenomenon is much more ...

MINNEAPOLIS — When someone touches something and gets shocked, it's awkward and a bit painful. What causes static electricity? And what actually happens when you get shocked? Visitors of the ...

Northwestern University scientists have made a new contribution to understanding a long-standing phenomenon called static electricity. In their most recent research, the researchers found that such ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Levitating matter with sound. Experimental setup with an acoustically levitated particle of silica. (CREDIT: Thomas Zauner/ISTA) ...

Environmental carbon coatings determine charge transfer direction between identical insulating materials, enabling control of ...

Static electricity shocks are more common in the winter because of the season's dry air. Friction between materials, like socks on carpet, builds up a static charge in low humidity. Using a humidifier ...

Could detecting static electricity be a factor in explaining why treehopper insects have evolved such bizarre body shapes? That is the hypothesis put forward in a new research paper published in ...

The spinning steel and plastic components of a combine, insulated from the ground by rubber tires and plastic skid shoes on small grain platforms, have been proven to create a static electric charge ...