when did static electricity come into the picture?

March 28, 2008 7:33 AM

when did static electricity come into the picture? ok, lightning is static electricity, but im not asking about that particular phenomenon.

the other day i handed a coworker a document, and our hands touched and we both got zapped.

when did this start happening? before humans? after the appearance of humans and their artifacts? is there any way to know - or does someone already know?

do elephants ever shock each other like that? how about brontosaurus?

i realize humidity is a factor, but im not sure how much that affects the answer to my question.

and im not asking about anything involving metal, just to be clear.

any ideas? or answers, even?

thanks!

posted by gcat to Science & Nature (16 answers total)

wiki is your friend....
posted by HuronBob at 7:37 AM on March 28, 2008

I'm going to venture that it really wasn't that prevalent until textiles came about like cloth and wool especially, and even then not to any great degree like we see today until synthetic materials like plastic and carpets and things that insulate you from ground were in common use. So after mid 1800's yeah, prior to then, I'm guessing not that much.
posted by clanger at 7:40 AM on March 28, 2008

Best answer: sorry, I meant in the context you are asking, touching and getting zapped...animals I bet don't since they are most likely both grounded and have the same electric potential if near each other. Otherwise static electricity has always been around in nature since the early beginnings of matter.
posted by clanger at 7:46 AM on March 28, 2008

According to this page I found, the fact that we wear shoes contributes too the effect.
posted by delmoi at 7:57 AM on March 28, 2008

When the temperature and humidity are right, my dalmatian sets of a ring of blue arcs when he gets up to change positions on my bed late at night.

clanger may be right, since it seems to be a function of the material the comforter is made of as well. Anyway, it's fun to watch.
posted by grumpy at 8:02 AM on March 28, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Greeks knew that rubbing amber and fur together causes an electric attraction between the objects, and that you can even get a spark if you rub them together long enough. In fact, the word "electricity" comes from the Greek elektron, meaning "amber".
posted by Johnny Assay at 8:03 AM on March 28, 2008 [3 favorites]

"when did this start happening?"

When did what start happening?
posted by cmiller at 8:06 AM on March 28, 2008

Is your question "when did lightening first jump between two things made of meat?"
posted by cmiller at 8:08 AM on March 28, 2008 [2 favorites]

Does hair standing on end before a thunderstorm count? Or is that too close to lightning?
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:20 AM on March 28, 2008

Response by poster: thanks, clanger, that makes sense. and thanks for the interesting link delmoi.

and cmiller, i wasnt calling it lightning, but yes, that is essentially what i am asking.
posted by gcat at 8:23 AM on March 28, 2008

Response by poster: nebulawp, cmiller sorta summed it up.
posted by gcat at 8:23 AM on March 28, 2008

I imagine when furry animals began roaming the surface of the earth. At least then there was something to witness the effect. That is if you want to rule of lightning and other natural (non-living) phenomenon.
posted by damn dirty ape at 9:50 AM on March 28, 2008

If you stroke a cat's fur on a dry winter's evening, you can see static jumping around on the fur. So static has been jumping between animate slabs of meat at least as long as there have been furry animals who groom one another.

If you consider the evolution to be a fact, that's likely at least 200 million years.
posted by bonehead at 10:37 AM on March 28, 2008

a tiny little yorkie walked up to me the other day, and as i put my hand out for him to sniff, he totally shocked my finger with his nose. he seemed pretty unfazed by it, so i gather that even if animals occasionally give each other static shock, they probably don't make much of it.
posted by tastycracker at 11:57 AM on March 28, 2008

Best answer: I'm guessing that birds would suffer static shocks - they spend long periods in the air where their (voltage) potential is free to drift, and (when the weather is right) in conditions that should be able to generate charge.

You might have to be creative to test this hypothesis though - perhaps connect an electrometer to a pigeon roost, and see if the needle twitches when the bird lands.
posted by -harlequin- at 12:17 PM on March 28, 2008 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: actually, that is interesting to wonder about - the birds. i wonder...
posted by gcat at 9:14 AM on March 30, 2008