nDever said:
I do appreciate the explanation.
I suppose something happens on the quantum level.
So then, by speculation, after the wax and wool now have a charge, these things may happen...
- The wax and wool are again contacted, the wool gets its electrons back, thus, a spark is produced and the charge is eliminated.
or
- The wool can get more electrons from some other negatively charged material and the wax can give its excess electrons to some other positively charged material.
To explain these phenomenon in more detail we have to go in explanation which will be more of chemistry than physics.
Before we continue , please read the post #5 again if you have read it once or if not then please do read it..
In post 5 , I wrote an electric series. You can call it triboelectric series also. Here is more developed model of that series :
Asbestos
Fur (rabbit) / cat fur
Flannel
Wax
Glass
Mica
Wool
Quartz
Fur (cat)
Lead
Silk
Human skin, Aluminum
Cotton
Wood
Amber
Copper, Brass
Rubber
Sulphur
Ebonite
Celluloid
India rubber
I also wrote that if an item x is rubbed with any item higher than it in series then it (x) will be charged negatively by friction else item x will be charged positively. Let's make it easy. Higher one in series will be positive charge and lower one negative if two are rubbed together.
Consider that wool is rubbed with wax. Since wax is higher than wool in the series so wool will be charged negatively and wax positively and these two will attract each other , right ?
Now if you go back to chemistry ionization level then ask yourself how an atom of sodium ionizes itself and so is chlorine atom although initially they are electrically neutral ? (say)
Sodium looses electrons and chlorine takes electrons though initially they are neutral , because sodium gains energy - heat energy , by percussion etc which forces the electrons in its outermost orbital to become free. Now chlorine has high nuclear force , so it easily takes electrons and loose energy due to the law of conservation of energy. Getting it ?
Sodium + energy -> Sodium positive ion + 1 electron
Chlorine + 1 electron -> Chlorine negative ion + energy
Sodium positive ion + Chlorine negative ion -> Sodium Chloride
Now let's go back to physics level :
When we rub wax and wool we apply
mechanical energy which rips off the electrons from outermost orbital of wax atom and it gains positive charge. Before there can be conduction of charge the , high nuclear force of wool atom attracts electrons lost by wax and hence wool gains negative charge by taking electrons lost by wax. If we go into detail then wax is more metallic in nature and wool more non metallic. If we rub wool with asbestos then wool will be negative and asbestos positive because asbestos is more metallic than wool. Nuclear charge of wool > asbestos , also.
After all it has the property like this ! Wool rubbed with wax.. Wool atom gains electrons easily because electrons in its outermost shell are strongly bound due to high nuclear force.
Wax looses electrons easily because electrons in its outermost/valence shell are loosely bound. We can deduce it like this. So now you got your answer ? We can also deduce that size of wax atom > size of wool atom.. You must have knowledge of chemistry to make such deductions.
That's all. Hope this helps.
:)
