Question

If you walk across a nylon rug and then touch a large metal object such as a doorknob you may get a spark and a shock. Why does this tend to happen more on dry days than on humid days (Hint: it has to do with the electric dipole of water molecules). Why are you less likely to get a shock if you touch a small metal object, such as a paper clip?

Answer 1

Answer:

Explanation:

• You are more likely to be shocked during dry days than humid days because during humid days more water is in the air, and water being a good conductor helps the air absorb some of those charges from you, while during dry days there is less water in the air and hence the charges build up since they are not absorbed.

• You are less likely to be shocked when you touch a small metal object because smaller metal objects like a paper clip have less space to accept net charge.