Man's static jacket sparks alert (2005)

news.bbc.co.uk

9 points·merah··7 comments

This story sounds.... untrue. While it's certainly plausible to have 40,000 volts of static electricity, the amount of energy involved is extremely small. Way too small to burn holes in a carpet. (Also, it's from 2005.)

Edit: "Several unanswered objections mark the story as a possible hoax" http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Australian_man_allegedly_ignites...

...that's terrifying. Would that high of a voltage being carried on his body not have killed him when it was discharged?

I'm no electronics expert, but AFAIK in normal situations static electricity has high voltage but very low capacitance. Basically, with the materials and geometry involved, there isn't enough charge at 40 kV to cause serious damage -- as the article says, the worst that could happen is the spark starts a fire (which may of course cause a lot of damage and loss of life if it's not put out, but at that point it's no longer an electrical phenomenon).

My first thought: Firemen are equipped with electrostatic field meters and trained how to use them?!

Second thought: 40 kV isn't THAT much. I've seen such readings on people before. Such people are in for a world of hurt when they discharge, but it's not going to cause any fires.

This story doesn't make sense.

And indeed Wikipedia suggests that's the maximum possible. Any more would dissipate into the air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity#Energies_inv...

How is such a large accumulation of charge possible in an open system that is everyday life?!

Dry air is a very good insulator, and 40kV is not a huge potential for statical charges, artifical charges get in hundreds of kV easily and in the MV with just a bit of planning.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com