Examples of Electrostatics

Electrostatic forces are commonly known as Coulomb’s forces. In brief, electrostatic forces are those forces that are non-contact forces by nature and they deal with stationary electric charges as well as the fields that are produced by these charges at rest. 

Electrostatic forces in simple terms, can be understood as the force that is exerted by a charged particle, which in turn either attracts or repels another charged particle or body, or sometimes even an uncharged particle or body. 

The electrostatic force was first discovered by French physicist Charles Augustine De Coulomb, who formulated Coulomb’s law. Electrostatic forces can also simply be known as electric forces since their main force is stationary yet highly charged particles, both positively as well as negatively charged particles.

Examples of electrostatic forces  

Electrostatic forces can be understood from a variety of real world examples. Some, daily life examples can be used to understand electrostatic forces.  

The first example is that of a nylon cloth. The fabric of nylon that is used in order to make clothes has a tendency to easily generate electricity. When this nylon material is rubbed against another fabric, it starts creating an electricity within the two materials. Thus, this produces a peculiar crackling sound that can be heard while removing such clothes, especially when rubbed against the skin of a person. 

Another example is that of a television screen and the layer of dust that gets formed on its sides. If you have noticed, although one is able to clean one layer of dust from the screen of a television, it becomes very hard to clean the other layer, which looks to be stuck on to the sides of the screen. This is due to the electrostatic force that exists between that particular layer of dust as well as the television screen. This force can even be felt if one puts their fingers close to the sides of the television screen where the dust seems to be hard to clean off. 

One of the most relatable as well as practical examples used in order to understand electrostatic forces is the example of a photocopy machine. The paper to be printed is placed on top of a glass screen. The image that is to be printed on to the paper is sent to a drum, which is usually positively charged while the ink that is to appear on the sheet is negatively charged. Thus due to the two stationary charges coming into contact with one another due to the source of the paper, there is a sound that is generated and can be heard. This sound occurs due to the existing electrostatic force. 

More examples that can help understand the concept or the phenomenon of electrostatic forces are that of a rod and a cloth, a charged comb or even a metallic door knob, which when suddenly touched gives out a slight shock. 

The concept of attraction between paper and a charged scale 

The simplest as well as most common example that is used to understand the concept or phenomenon of electrostatic forces is that of a charged scale and its affinity towards paper. This is a general experiment that is conducted in most classes in order to more easily understand the concept of electrostatic forces. 

In order to start this simple experiment, we must first take a piece of paper and tear it into small bits. If you try holding up a normal scale above these now torn bits of paper, you will see no reaction taking place. This is because the scale is neither positively nor negatively charged. Rather, it is neutral in its electric charge or field. 

Now, take the same scale and try rubbing it on your hair for a few minutes, or even 15-20 seconds. Now try holding up the scale on top of the same torn paper bits. You will see that at least a few of the bits of paper will start sticking to the scale. 

This is because in your first trial, the scale had a neutral charge. But after rubbing it on your hair, due to the existing friction between the two, there is a stationary charge that is developed on the scale. This charge attracts the tiny bits of paper towards itself. The paper and the comb have opposite electric charges, which attracts the paper towards the scale. 

The concept behind the apparent spontaneous explosion of the grain silos

Grain silos can be compared to fine dust or fine dust particles. In the understanding of electrostatic charges, the apparent spontaneous explosion of the grain silos seems to be of significant importance. 

A grain silo in simple terms acts as a storehouse located either on the inside or on the outside of a building where products such as wheat, corn, rice and other similar food products are stored. The process behind this storage is a little complex in nature. Ideally the silo tower consists of two parts, the upper part of the tower as well as the lower part of the tower. It is usually through an inlet in the upper part of the tower that the food is stored using pipes and other methods. The products for dispatch are then collected from the lower part of the tower. 

It must be noted that all food products in the industry are made up of either carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen among other elements. These elements are all combustible in nature and thus it is easy for food products or grain silos to catch fire and cause explosions due to their extremely fine sizes.

Understanding the damage of electronic components during manufacture

Static electricity comprises those stationary charged particles or bodies that are at rest and looking to either attract or repel another charged body or particle. In order for us to understand the kinds of damage of electronic components that occur during manufacture, we need to first understand electrostatic discharge.

Static electricity can also be defined as or understood as electrostatic discharge since they are essentially of the same concept or phenomenon; that is, stationary charged bodies that are on the lookout for other charged bodies. An electrostatic discharge can be caused either due to the breaking of contact between two charged bodies or due to the opposite; that is, the attraction between two charged bodies. This attraction or repulsion causes changes in the potential difference between the two bodies or components, thus in turn, creating an electrostatic discharge. 

The two main failures that occur during manufacture are caused due to this electrostatic discharge and can be classified as a catastrophic failure or an upset failure. 

A catastrophic failure in simple terms is the sudden, unexpected breakdown that a machine or computer or any technology experiences. A catastrophic failure can be detected during the early stages of manufacturing and thus can also be looked into as well as repaired at the early stage of manufacturing. Upset failures on the other hand can be understood through the lens of latent failure as well as intermittent failure. 

Latent failures in simple terms can be understood as those failures in a system that go unrecognised until they cause some kind of harm to the system or an individual. It is easy for latent failures to go unnoticed during manufacture and hence they are expensive when they take place. 

Intermittent failure on the other hand is a short-lived problem. It is a problem that can randomly take place in a system but also one that can go away in a short period of time. Intermittent failures may or may not occur after a certain period of time. Intermittent failures go unrecognised during manufacture and thus go through several inspections until the problem is detected and solved before returning it back to the customer. 

Conclusion 

Electrostatic charges are easy to understand as long as the concept or phenomenon behind the area of study is clear to an individual. The various examples and experiments stated in this article help students gain a detailed and better understanding of the particular concept.