Static electricity

5.5 Static electricity

This is a mechanical method of producing electricity by friction.
When a plastic rod is rubbed with a cat's fur or a glass rod is rubbed with silk, electric charges are produced on the rods and on the materials they are rubbed with. While most of the mechanical energy used in the charging process is transformed into heat, a small amount is converted to electric energy.

Electricity by friction

Electricity generated by friction is often undesired and from time to time can be dangerous to human beings and equipment. In printing shops, newspaper plants, static electricity is generated by friction and can give severe shocks unless special measures are made to conduct these charges to the ground. In nature, static electricity is produced when clouds move through the atmosphere and is known to cause a lot of damage to houses and trees by setting them on fire. Lightning is a form of static electricity and is known to have killed human beings and animals and damaged vegetation since time immemorial.