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Physics Dangers and Uses of Static Electricity
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Uses and Dangers of Static Electricity
By Ben Engelmann
Photocopying
One major use of static electricity is photocopying, or xerography
Photocopying
Image Link: https://www.hiclipart.com/free-transparent-background-png-clipart-mrskw
How Photocopying Works
How It Works
- Toner is a powder that is negatively charged
- A positively charged drum is where the copied image will be stored
- The lighter parts of the image are made more negatively charged using a laser
- Because of this, the toner will only be attracted to certain regions - the positively charged ones that weren't affected by the laser
(“How Does the Photocopier Work?”)
How Photocopying Works (continued)
How it works (continued)
- The toner is now stuck to the drum in the correct spots
- if there are multiple colors the previous steps are done multiple times
- It is transferred to a piece of paper
- The paper is given a strong positive charge,
- This causes the toner, with a negative charge, to be attracted to it
- Finally, the toner is fused to the paper
(“How Does the Photocopier Work?”)
Image of Xerographic Process
Image of Xerographic Process
Image Link: https://img.tfd.com/cde/ELECFOTO.GIF
Statistics and Importance to Society
Statistics and Important to Society
- 94.36 million photocopiers, printers, and other similar units were sold in 2020 (Alsop)
- By 1966, Americans were making about 14 billion copies per year (Thompson)
- The photocopier drastically changed society in America, and has many uses in the office and elsewhere (Thompson)
Ignition of Flammables
One danger of static electricity is that it can easily ignite flammable gases
Ignition of Flammable Gases
Image Link: https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/IugWLWy-YR0Aifxdpd1oI49GAcI=/1000x750/filters:no_upscale()/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer/b6/11/b611d42c-35bb-4aec-a220-34c4a6ec7afe/nasm-si-98-15068.jpg
How it Works
- A charge can build up on a surface
- If the charge is trapped and has no where to go, it will can build up more
- If the level of charge is high enough, it can be released and form a spark
- A spark can ignite flammable vapor
Images of Danger
Image Links: https://www.history.com/.image/t_share/MTU3ODc4NjAzMjQ3ODU1MzI3/image-placeholder-title.jpg
https://schaffhouser.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/static_sparks_finger.jpg
Statistics and Importance
Statistics and Importance of Danger
- The famous Hindenburg disaster is believed to have been cause by this danger
- Hindenburg flew through a storm
- Static electricity built up
- It discharged, creating a spark and igniting hydrogen gas in the dirigible
- This killed 35 people
- There are many other instances of the danger causing accidents
- Residential
- Industrial
- Commercial
Works Cited
Alsop, Thomas. “Printers (Hardcopy Peripherals) - Statistics & Facts.” Statista, 4 Nov. 2021, https://www.statista.com/topics/2991/printers-hardcopy-peripherals/#topicHeader__wrapper.
“How Does a Photocopier Work?” Midshire, 0drum%20using%20a%20laser. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
“How Does the Photocopier Work?” Our Kloud, 10 Aug. 2021, https://o.
Mizes, Howard, et al. “Electrophotography Overview.” Imaging, https://www.imaging.org/site/IST/Resources/Imaging_Tutorials/Electrophotography_Overview/IST/Resources/Tutorials/Xerography.aspx?hkey=fcba9c09-db7e-45f1-b80e-fa3bc182cb49. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
“Static Charge, Hydrogen Caused Hindenburg Disaster.” Reuters, Reuters, 4 Mar. 2013, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-hindenburg/static-charge-hydrogen-caused-hindenburg-disaster-report-idUSBRE9231B420130304.
“Static Electricity - an Overview.” ScienceDirect, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/static-electricity#:~:text=If%20the%20level%20of%20the,vapors%20that%20may%20be%20present. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
Thompson, Clive. “How the Photocopier Changed the Way We Worked—and Played.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, Mar. 2015, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/duplication-nation-3D-printing-rise-180954332/.
“Xerography.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/technology/xerography. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.