Chemistry For Your Life

What sparks the mystery of static electricity?

Listen Later

Melissa and Jam delve into the intricate phenomenon of static electricity. They discuss their own experiences with static shocks and static cling, particularly in the winter months. They explain the concept of contact electrification and the tribal electric effect, providing basic explanations along with why these do not fully account for everything we observe. They highlight recent scientific research, revealing that much about static electricity remains a mystery, including why it occurs more in some materials than others and how friction affects it. The podcast also explores practical examples and ways static electricity impacts everyday life, such as in winter clothing, camp blankets, coffee grinding, and even industrial settings.

00:00 Introduction and Winter Talk

00:24 Static Shock Experiences
01:39 Welcome to Chemistry for Your Life
03:49 Understanding Static Electricity
06:06 Static Electricity in Everyday Life
12:14 Recent Research on Static Electricity
18:44 Understanding Static Electricity
19:26 Challenges in Studying Static
20:19 Experiments and Observations
22:58 Static in Everyday Life
24:28 Water and Static Electricity
25:58 Personal Experiences with Static
28:52 Conclusion and Community Engagement

Support this podcast on Patreon

Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

    1. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/09/solving-the-longstanding-mystery-of-how-friction-leads-to-static-electricity 
    2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00298-7 
    3. https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-what-creates-static-electricity-after-thousands-of-years 
    4. https://link.aps.org/accepted/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.116103 
    5. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/environment-general-science/how-can-i-stop-getting-static-shocks 
    6. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2025/january/research-update-generating-electricity-from-tacky-tape.html 
    7. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c05629 
    8. https://case.edu/news/why-does-rubbing-balloon-your-hair-make-it-stick 
    9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08530-6 
    10. https://youtu.be/-Buz6Sp2YTg 
    11. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/only_you_can_prevent_combine_fires
    12. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03656

      13. Thanks to our monthly supporters

      • Emily Morrison
      • Kyle McCray
      • Emily Hardy
      • Ash
      • Vince W
      • Julie S.
      • Heather Ragusa
      • Autoclave
      • Chelsea Morelos
      • Dorien VD
      • Scott Beyer
      • Jessie Reder
      • Ciara Linville
      • J0HNTR0Y
      • Jeannette Napoleon
      • Cullyn R
      • Erica Bee
      • Elizabeth P
      • Rachel Reina
      • Letila
      • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
      • Suzanne Phillips
      • Venus Rebholz
      • Lyn Stubblefield
      • Jacob Taber
      • Brian Kimball
      • Kristina Gotfredsen
      • Timothy Parker
      • Steven Boyles
      • Chris Skupien
      • Chelsea B
      • Avishai Barnoy
      • Hunter Reardon
        • Support this podcast on Patreon
        Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

        Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

        Watch our episodes on YouTube

        Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store
        Chemistry For Your LifeBy Melissa and Jam, Bleav
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6

        4.6

        291 ratings

        More shows like Chemistry For Your Life

        View all
        The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

        The Naked Scientists Podcast

        616 Listeners

        Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

        Big Picture Science

        941 Listeners

        SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy by Stuart Gary

        SpaceTime: Your Guide to Space & Astronomy

        321 Listeners

        Ask a Spaceman! by Paul M. Sutter

        Ask a Spaceman!

        828 Listeners

        Universe Today Podcast by Fraser Cain

        Universe Today Podcast

        563 Listeners

        The Quanta Podcast by Quanta Magazine

        The Quanta Podcast

        526 Listeners

        Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

        Science Magazine Podcast

        821 Listeners

        Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

        Science Friday

        6,373 Listeners

        Physics World Weekly Podcast by Physics World

        Physics World Weekly Podcast

        78 Listeners

        Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe by iHeartPodcasts

        Daniel and Kelly’s Extraordinary Universe

        2,345 Listeners

        Short Wave by NPR

        Short Wave

        6,421 Listeners

        The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

        The Supermassive Podcast

        317 Listeners

        Why This Universe? by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman

        Why This Universe?

        392 Listeners

        Unexplainable by Vox

        Unexplainable

        2,318 Listeners

        The Joy of Why by Steven Strogatz, Janna Levin and Quanta Magazine

        The Joy of Why

        490 Listeners