The science of static electricity - Anuradha Bhagwat

Znanost statične elektrike - Anuradha Bhagwat

Translator: Nika Kotnik Reviewer: Klavdija Cernilogar

It can strike without warning, at any moment.

Lahko udari brez opozorila, v vsakem trenutku.

You may be walking across a soft carpet and reaching for the door knob

Hodili boste po mehki preprogi in prijeli za kljuko,

when suddenly...zap!

ko naenkrat...zap!

To understand static electricity,

Da bi razumeli statično elektriko,

we first need to know a bit about the nature of matter.

moramo najprej vedeti nekaj o snovi.

All matter is made up of atoms

Vso snov sestavljajo atomi,

that consist of three types of smaller particles:

ki si sestavljeni iz treh vrst manjših delcev.

negatively charged electrons,

negativno nabitih elektronov,

positively charged protons,

pozitivno nabitih protonov,

and neutral neutrons.

in nevtralnih nevtronov.

Normally, the electrons and protons in an atom balance out,

Ponavadi se elektroni in protoni med seboj izenačijo,

which is why most matter you come across is electrically neutral.

zato je večina snovi, ki jo srečaš, električno nevtralna.

But electrons are tiny and almost insignificant in mass,

A elektroni so majhni in praktično brez teže

and rubbing or friction can give loosely bound electrons

in drgnenje ali trenje lahko da slabo vezanim elektronom

enough energy to leave their atoms and attach to others,

dovolj energije, da zapustijo svoje atome in se pritrdijo na druge,

migrating between different surfaces.

se selijo med različnimi površinami.

When this happens,

Ko se to zgodi,

the first object is left with more protons than electrons

ima prvi predmet sedaj več protonov kot elektronov

and becomes positively charged,

in postane pozitivno nabit,

while the one with more electrons accumulates a negative charge.

medtem ko dobi tisti z več elektroni negativen naboj.

This situation is called a charge imbalance,

Ta situacija se imenuje neravnovesje nabojev

or net charge separation.

oziroma razlika v naboju.

But nature tends towards balance,

A narava teži proti ravnovesju,

so when one of these newly charged bodies comes into contact with another material,

tako da ko eno od na novo nabitih teles pride v stik z drugim materialom,

the mobile electrons will take the first chance they get

bodo mobilni elektroni izkoristili prvo priložnost

to go where they're most needed,

in šli tja, kjer jih najbolj potrebujejo:

either jumping off the negatively charged object,

ali skočijo z negativno nabitega predmeta

or jumping onto the positively charged one

ali skočijo na pozitivnega,

in an attempt to restore the neutral charge equilibrium.

da bi spet vzpostavili nevtralno ravnovesje nabojev.

And this quick movement of electrons, called static discharge,

To hitro gibanje elektronov, imenovano tok elektronov,

is what we recognize as that sudden spark.

prepoznamo kot nenadno iskro.

This process doesn't happen with just any objects.

Ta proces se ne zgodi s katerimkoli predmetom.

Otherwise you'd be getting zapped all the time.

Drugače bi te treslo ves čas.

Conductors like metals and salt water

Prevodniki, kot so kovine in slana voda,

tend to have loosely bound outer electrons,

imajo slabo vezane zunanje elektrone,

which can easily flow between molecules.

ki se lahko premikajo med molekulami.

On the other hand, insulators like plastics, rubber and glass

Na drugi strani imajo izolatorji kot so plastika, guma in steklo,

have tightly bound electrons that won't readily jump to other atoms.

trdno vezane elektrone, ki ne bodo zlahka skočili na druge atome.

Static build-up is most likely to occur

Statično naraščanje se najbolj verjetno zgodi,

when one of the materials involved is an insulator.

ko je eden izmed materialov izolator.

When you walk across a rug,

Ko hodiš po preprogi,

electrons from your body will rub off onto it,

se bodo elektroni s tvojega telesa podrgnili nanjo,

while the rug's insulating wool will resist losing its own electrons.

medtem ko se bo volna kot izolator uprla izgubi elektronov.

Although your body and the rug together are still electrically neutral,

Čeprav sta telo in preproga skupaj še vedno električno nevtralna,

there is now a charge polarization between the two.

je sedaj med njima polarizacija nabojev.

And when you reach to touch the door knob,

In ko se dotakneš kljuke,

zap!

zap!

The metal door knob's loosely bound electrons hop to your hand

Šibko vezani elektroni s kovinske kljuke skočijo na tvojo roko,

to replace the electrons your body has lost.

da nadomestijo elektrone, ki jih je izgubilo tvoje telo.

When it happens in your bedroom, it's a minor nuisance.

Ko se to zgodi v tvoji spalnici, je le majhna nadloga.

But in the great outdoors,

A zunaj

static electricity can be a terrifying, destructive force of nature.

je lahko statična elektrika strašljiva, uničujoča moč narave.

In certain conditions, charge separation will occur in clouds.

V določenih pogojih se razlika v nabojih pojavi v oblakih.

We don't know exactly how this happens.

Ne vemo natančno, kako se to zgodi.

It may have to do with the circulation of water droplets

Morda ima kaj s kroženjem vodnih kapljic

and ice particles within them.

in ledenih delcev znotraj njih.

Regardless, the charge imbalance is neutralized

Ne glede na to se neravnovesje v nabojih nevtralizira,

by being released towards another body,

ko se sprosti k drugemu telesu,

such as a building,

kot je stavba,

the Earth,

Zemlja,

or another cloud in a giant spark that we know as lightning.

ali drug oblak, kar izgleda kot ogromna iskra - strela.

And just as your fingers can be zapped over and over in the same spot,

Tako kot lahko tvoje prste strese spet in spet na istem mestu,

you better believe that lightning can strike the same place more than once.

kar verjemi, da lahko strela udari na istem mestu več kot enkrat.