Question

You have likely experienced a static ‘shock’ after walking across a carpet, just as John Travoltage did in the simulator. Which of the following best explains why this is much more likely to happen on a cold, dry, winter’s day than a warm, humid, summer’s day?

Answer 1

Answer: static electricity builds up because of imbalance of charges between objects and its greater during cold winter because Since water allows electrons to travel freely, it’s less likely for static charges to build up in an environment where water is present. This is why static electricity is rarely an issue in the summertime — humid summer air holds more water than dry winter air.

Explanation:

Answer 2

Answer: c. Negative charges are transferred to you from the carpet on both warm and cold days, but these excess negative charges do not remain on you. Instead, they are removed almost immediately by humid air

Explanation:

Humid air is a better conductor than dry air and as such discharges you as soon as negative charges get to you from a carpet because it is constantly discharging you.

Dry air as already mentioned is not as good a conductor as warm air and so the excess charges remain in the air. This is why one is more likely to experience static shock on a cold, dry day