What kind of energy is static electricity

Energy can be stored in an object potential energy , or it can be because of its movement kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy that is a characteristic of moving objects. Any object having higher kinetic energy will move faster. There is another kind of energy known as static energy or static electricity that many people tend to confuse because of the word static and think of it as being opposite to kinetic energy which is the result of movement of the object.

However, it is not so and the confusion will be removed once the article is complete. Kinetic energy of a moving object is dependent both upon its mass as well as its velocity and is calculated using the following formula.

Today, we know that the "fluid" was actually electrons, but those weren't discovered for about years. According to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory , clouds develop zones of static charge due to warm water droplets in updrafts exchanging electrons cold ice crystals in downdrafts.

According to NASA , the potential between these atmospheric charges and the ground can exceed , volts, so the consequences of being struck by lightning can be deadly.

Some of the current, though, can travel through the body and damage the nervous system, according to the National Weather Service.

Additionally, the concussion from the blast can cause traumatic internal injuries and permanent hearing loss, and the bright flash can cause temporary or permanent vision damage. As an example of the tremendous energy released in a lightning strike, Marsh told Live Science about his personal observation of a large oak tree that was literally split in half by high-pressure steam created by a lightning strike.

If you can hear thunder, generally, you are already within striking range, according to the University of Florida. If you are outdoors when a storm approaches, you should immediately seek shelter in a building or vehicle and avoid touching any metal.

If you cannot get inside, move away from tall objects such as trees, towers or hilltops, squat down, and if possible, balance on the balls of your feet making as little contact with the ground as possible, according to Brigham Young University. While static electricity can be a nuisance or even a danger, as in the case of static cling or static shock, in other cases it can be quite useful.

For instance, static charges can be induced by electrical current. One example of this is a capacitor , so named because it has the capacity to store electric charge, analogous to how a spring stores mechanical energy.

A voltage applied to capacitor creates a charge difference between the plates. If the capacitor is charged and the voltage is switched off, it can retain the charge for some time. This can be useful, as in the case of supercapacitors , which can replace rechargeable batteries in some applications, but it can also be dangerous. Electronic equipment such as older CRT computer monitors and television sets contain large capacitors that can retain a charge with up to 25, volts, which can cause injury or death even after the device has been turned off for several days.

Another way to create a useful static charge is with mechanical strain. Once enough charge is built up, there is a high enough voltage needed to cause the charge to jump from the person to a nearby doorknob leaving the person discharged and, if they weren't ready for it, quite shocked. This same charge build-up and discharge process occurs in clouds to create lightning, and can be explored on Hyperphysics.

This simulation shows how charges get separated but are neither created nor destroyed when a balloon rubs on a person's sweater. Fossil Fuels. Nuclear Fuels. Among many of the energy harvesting technologies, a triboelectric nanogenerator is a device that obtains static electricity, which can be found when two different materials are in contact and detached.

So far, there have been many studies on triboelectric nanogenerator, however, it has been difficult to commercialize because of its limitations such as small quantity of energy converted from harvested static electricity and that power is only generated when there is friction. The joint research team fabricated the nano surface structure by using nanoimprinting process to intensify friction under same contact and separate condition. They also used poling process to produce more static electricity under the same given frictional condition due to ease of electron transfer between two objects.

Nanoimprinting process is a method that forms nano surface structures in thermoplastic polymer by stacking nano molds with the polymer films, and then heating under a certain pressure.

Poling process is a method that rearranges molecular structures orderly by changing directions of dipoles of the materials in contact and by applying high voltage.