Uses & Dangers of Static Electricity (Edexcel IGCSE Physics)

Uses of static electricity

Spec point — 2.28P · explain some uses of electrostatic charges, e.g. in photocopiers and inkjet printers (physics only)

• Electrostatic charges are used in everyday situations such as photocopiers and inkjet printers

Photocopiers

• Photocopiers use static electricity to copy paper documents, most commonly in black and white

  1. An image of the document is projected onto a positively charged copying plate
  2. The plate loses its charge in the light areas and keeps the positive charge in the dark areas (i.e the text)
  3. A negatively charged black toner powder (the ink) is applied to the plate and sticks to the part where there is a positive charge
  4. The toner is then transferred onto a new blank sheet of white paper
  5. The paper is heated to make sure the powder sticks (hence why photocopied paper feels warm)

• The photocopy of the document is now made

• Inkjet printers work in a similar way, but instead of the black toner powder, a small jet of coloured ink is negatively charged and attracted to the correct place on the page

Diagram of the process by which a photocopier prints black text onto paper

Insecticide Sprayers

• Insecticides are chemicals used to kill pests in order to protect crops

• In order to spray crops effectively whilst using a minimal amount of chemicals, the sprayer has to deliver the chemicals as a fine mist and cover a large area

• To achieve this, the insecticide is given an electrostatic charge (e.g. positive) as it leaves the sprayer

• The droplets of insecticide then repel each other since they are the same charge

  • This ensures that the spray remains fine and covers a large area

• They are also attracted to the negative charges on Earth, so they will fall quickly and are less likely to be blown away

• A similar technique is used in the spray painting of cars

Positively-charged particles leaving the sprayer repel one another, covering a larger area and preventing particles from grouping together.

Dangers of static electricity

Spec point — 2.27P · explain the potential dangers of electrostatic charges, e.g. when fuelling aircraft and tankers (physics only)

• There are various situations where static electricity can pose a hazard, for example:

  • the risk of electrocution (e.g from lightning or a loose connection in an electrical appliance)
  • the risk of a fire or explosion due to a spark close to a flammable gas or liquid

• Static electricity can cause sparking

  • This is where a large amount of charge builds up, producing a large potential difference across a gap
  • If the potential difference is large enough, current can travel through the air between objects – this is a spark

• There are dangers of sparking in everyday situations such as fuelling vehicles such as cars and planes

• Earthing is used to prevent the dangerous build-up of charge

  • This is done by connecting the vehicles to the Earth with a conductor

Fuelling Vehicles

• A build-up of static charge is a potential danger when refuelling aeroplanes

• Fuel runs through pipes at a fast rate

  • This fuel is very flammable

• The friction between the fuel (a liquid insulator) and the pipe causes the fuel to gain charge

• If this charge were to cause a spark, the fuel could ignite and cause an explosion

A diagram showing how the bonding line reduces the chance of sparks when fuelling a plane

• This is prevented by the fuel tank being connected to the Earth with a copper wire called the bonding line during the refuelling

• The conductor earths the plane by carrying the charge through to the Earth which removes the risk of any sparks

  • It is easier for charge to flow down the bonding line than to spark, so sparks are very unlikely to occur

Exam Hint

• You could be asked to explain other dangers and uses in your exams

• They may ask you to explain the movement of charge in terms of electrons

• If asked to explain a danger:

  • State what the danger is (electrocution? fire?)
  • Explain how the charge can be removed to get rid of the risk i.e earthing (think about which way the electrons have to move)

• If asked to explain a use, think carefully about the forces exerted due to static electricity and what they will do