Avoid electric shock getting out of a car!

As the weather gets colder and dryer, you are more likely to get shocked when getting out of a car, touching a door knob, or doing laundry. Is there a way to prevent getting shocked on the car door?

Host/Writer: Dianna Cowern

Thanks to Brad at UCSD for letting me use the Van de Graaff generator!

[ScienceAsylum]

I'm seriously static prone, so I get shocked by everything ALL THE TIME (mostly in the winter). I've been waiting for this video my whole life. I'm totally trying the hand on the car trick and will let you know the results. As for the dryer sheets, they work wonders. In the winter, I make a habit of carrying a couple around with me wherever I go.

[EugeneKhutoryansky]

Styrofoam can develop a large static charge very easily, and it is therefore not supposed to be placed in an ESD sensitive environment where sensitive electronics can be damaged. The fact that it is an insulator just means that it will not conduct a continuous DC current after it develops a charge. One analogy it to think of it as a capacitor. The center of a capacitor consists of an insulator, and will block DC current, yet the entire purpose of the capacitor is to hold a charge.

[ypfong]

Who is here after uncountable shocks by car door?🤣🤣

[dm_nimbus]

I love those moments where you have no idea what's going on and get to learn something new

[EamonBurke]

Take your car's ignition key(or a door key if you have a proximity key), and after you get out, tap the car with it. If it sparks, you won't be the point of exit, the key will, and it won't hurt.

I discovered this when I put a key in a deadbolt and it sparked, though I didn't feel it. Works for doorknobs too.

[LidorGoren]

Excellent video as always. I would also add that what's painful is not the electrical discharge current but rather the flux, that is the amount of current across a given skin area. So a good way of avoiding the pain of the shock would be to touch your car with an open palm after exiting, rather than touching it with just the tip of your finger.

[Richie_P]

Haha. I used to have a car that shocked me every single time I got out. The shock didn't really hurt, but the bad part was KNOWING it was about to happen. I used to park that car and for a few seconds before getting out I would sit there like dammit" :(

[juraj_b]

My dad used to carry a key when he was touching a door so the key would get the shock, not him when he touched something metallic, like a doorknob or a gate. Works like a charm ;)

[dennisharrell]

I once worked in a building where the combination of the carpet and my shoes caused a shock every time I touched metal, so I would touch everything with a key first. People laughed at me, until I walked up to them and touched them with my key.

[arooobine]

Alternate clickbait title: This girl simply got out of her car. What happens next is SHOCKING!!

[bwakel]

I love the feeling of static shock. I will purposely shock myself at work and at home. When I get shocked, I get the ASMR tingles in my head. It feels so good!

[weirdyoda]

2:47 for quick answer. Whole video is good though.

[sajvuchanxu]

Your tip on getting discharged when getting down from car was legit..
Thanks..saved me from loads of shocks

[kerapesall]

Great car tip. Mystery solved! You have made my life less painful now that I know how to avoid shocks. Thank you.

[marcianoacuerda]

I'm so glad i found this channel. I've been a physics "enthusiast" since highscool and now being in my thirties i still love this kind of videos.
I'm going to show the mirror video to my niece, it's going to "flip" her mind. Keep up the good work.

[SambagsStockpot]

Thank you so much for explaining this 😁🤗. Three days now without a shock from the car ❤️

[ErlendDavidson]

It's worth mentioning that with all but the largest static shocks the only reason you feel them is due to the heat of the spark against your skin. In other words, the static discharge is causing you a very localised burn. This is the reason you don't feel a static shock if you touch the car door (or door handle, or metal banister) with your keys: you are isolated from the heat of the spark.

[ofeliawotsits]

I love getting shocks when getting out of the car, it makes me feel so ALIVE!

[maitland]

Thanks for the video. Another easy way to not get shocked leaving a car is to cover your seat with cotton fabric (assuming you are usually wearing cotton). It's the combination of different materials that creates the charge separation, so if seat and clothes are the same fabric, no charge builds up.
Also, to make your hair stand up better with a VDG generator, here are two tricks I've found: (based on doing it hundreds of times with students)
- Dampening your hair with a spray bottle makes it work a lot better (yes, counter-intuitive)
- Standing on a plastic stool to insulate you from the ground is super important too.

[zachisosum]

Another solution is to never go outside, or move! Easy peasy!