Static electricity - problems

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=200 BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="03fd4c00dduajq.png"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="95" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 46 WIDTH="91"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="46" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="91" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Science For All"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="site_map_and_site_search_engine.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Science for all site map"><U>Site map + site search engine</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id92_static.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Static Electricity"><U>Back</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="0f8a0a03.png"> <div> Static electricity - problems</div> <bR> <div> You are visiting the Science For All site</div> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0f7f4040.png" border=0 width="500" height="4" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Have you ever had an electric shock whilst getting out of a car or when you have touched a metal shelf in a shop? That is an example of static electricity leaking away to earth. On this scale, it is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. In thunderstorm clouds, the static charges can build up to millions of volts. Even though air is an insulator, it cannot prevent the static electricity leaking from the cloud to the Earth. This is seen as a bolt of lightning. Lightning is very destructive, although many people have survived lightning strikes, many have been killed. </div> <bR> <div> Try searching the internet for information about lightning:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>  <IMG SRC="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/serve?bfmid=31103363&siteid=35044309&bfpage=football" BORDER="0" WIDTH="1" HEIGHT="1" NOSAVE > <FORM ACTION="http://service.bfast.com/bfast/click" > <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="siteid" VALUE="35044309" > <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="bfpage" VALUE="football"> <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="bfmid" VALUE="31103363" > <TABLE CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" BORDER="0"> <TR> <TD BGCOLOR="#009900"><IMG SRC="http://www.ask.co.uk/docs/about/questionboxes/questionbox16_a.gif" WIDTH="120" HEIGHT="73"></TD> </TR> <TR><FORM ACTION="http://www.ask.co.uk/main/askjeeves.asp" METHOD="GET"> <TD BGCOLOR="#009900" ALIGN="center" BACKGROUND="http://www.ask.co.uk/docs/about/questionboxes/questionbox16_b.gif" WIDTH="120" HEIGHT="21"><INPUT TYPE="text" NAME="ask" SIZE="13"> <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="scope" VALUE="web"> <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="origin" VALUE="nnnn"> <INPUT TYPE="hidden" NAME="qSource" VALUE="n"></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD BGCOLOR="#009900"><INPUT TYPE="image" SRC="http://www.ask.co.uk/docs/about/questionboxes/questionbox16_c.jpg" BORDER="0" WIDTH="120" HEIGHT="40"></TD> </FORM></TR> </TABLE> </FORM>  </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> Lightning will take the easiest path to the Earth. In open areas, single trees will be struck first, since they are higher than the surroundings. The energy of a lightning strike can cause the tree to explode. Lightning strikes in forests can give rise to fires. A safe place to be during a thunderstorm is inside a car. This is not because of the rubber tyres acting as insulators, it is because a car body acts as a hollow conductor. </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2bd7cf50.png" border=0 width="124" height="245" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> When planes are refuelled, the fuel is pumped at high speed through a pipe. As the fuel passes along the inside of the pipe a static charge builds up. If it builds up to a high enough level, a spark will result. This can ignite any vapour and cause an explosion. To avoid this, the pipe must be connected to earth using an electrical conductor.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="2bf85640.gif" border=0 width="133" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>