When microscopic particles of sand, ash, or dust collide in the air, they often exchange a tiny electrical charge. This tiny ...

The original story “ Physicists solved a decades-old mystery about static electricity ” is published in The Brighter Side of ...

Static electricity may seem simple. Students often learn that rubbing a balloon against their hair will cause negatively ...

Seemingly random charging of identical materials depends on the carbonaceous molecules stuck to their surfaces ...

The familiar phenomenon has puzzled researchers for centuries, but experiments are finally making sense of its unruly behaviours.

A growing body of research is shifting how scientists explain static electricity, pointing to surface contamination and contact history rather than the inherent properties of materials as the primary ...

Learn more about the nearly invisible layer of carbon that may control how dust grains become electrically charged and how that discovery could help future missions to the moon and Mars.

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, ...

WORKING in tanks, manholes, and underground vaults are some of the most dangerous and potentially lethal occupations found in the industrial work environment. Federal, state, and corporate safety ...

Ancient Greeks discovered that when animal fur and amber were rubbed together, the fur could be used to attract feathers, glass dust and other lightweight objects. It wasn’t until 1600 AD, however, ...