Nexus - 1206 - New Times Magazine-pages

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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCE positive and negative particles which _ Electrostatics and matter "Static" and "current" are two fields of existed beforehand. The electric particles Actually, physical objects are made out study, not two substances or energies. were already there: they did not have to of charge. We always talk of matter as if it They are subject areas which were created build up. It's an "uncancelling", an event only had passing relation to electrical — entirely by humans. They don't really exist which occurs between the large quantities effects. Yet if we look in detail into the — separately in the real world. of oppositely charged particles which were nature of matter, we find physical sub- "Static electricity" is important in many already present in matter. stances made of molecules, made of atoms, _ other places besides lightning, photocopiers Contact electrification is more like made of positive and negative electric and doorknob sparks. For example: "stretched atoms" than anything else. If we charge. ¢ Your muscles are driven by long-chain could take some atoms and pull their elec- Matter is not electrical? No, quite the molecules which are forced to slide across trons far away from their protons, we opposite. Electric charge is the major com- each other. This sliding is performed by would have created an imbalance of charge ponent of all atoms. Therefore, matter is electrostatic attraction and repulsion or "static electricity". made out of cancelled electric charge. If between parts of the molecule, and so your It's true that during “frictional electricity" we cancel out some opposite charge by _ muscles are electrostatic motors! or contact electrification, it's usually only _ placing positive charge together with nega- ¢ Nerves function as tiny capacitors, with the negative electrons which are moved _ tive charge, do we get nothing? No. charge pumps to electrify them and ion from one surface to the other. But this Instead, we get material substance. gates to discharge them. transferring of electrons then results in two Positive protons plus negative electrons ¢ When uranium atoms are hit by areas of imbalanced charge, not one. As equals neutral atoms. neutrons and their nuclei split, the main negative particles are pulled away from the Physical objects normally have no _ source of released energy is the repulsion positive particles, the positives and between like-charged positive protons in negatives are no longer near each the fragments of the nucleus. other and are no longer able to cancel Therefore, nuclear reactors release the each other. Because of this, equal and . electrostatic energy of uranium nuclei. opposite areas of imbalanced charge Matter Is made out of A plutonium bomb is actually a "static PP! g P y are always created during the uncan- cancelled electric charge... electric" repulsion bomb! celling. If you take away a neutral aye ¢ Semiconductor electrostatics is object's electrons, you leave its pro- Positive protons plus essential to modern electronics. One tons exposed. negative electrons equals type of transistor in particular, the FET And although the negative charges | or "field effect transistor", is purely an did the moving, this doesn't mean the neutra atoms. electrostatic device. Electrostatic positive charges are unimportant. fields within it are used to open and Before the charges are separated, there close the conductive channel which are equal quantities of positive and regulates current. Are these sorts of negative charges present together within transistors rare? No. Every single the materials. The positives null out the charge? Wrong. The physical objects are transistor in the memory, CPU and IO negatives, and the negatives null out the _ the charge. chips of modern PCs are FET transistors. ositives. After the separation of the "Static electricity" is as common as Most of the transistors in modern TVs and P P y charges is complete, the positive charges matter. If you believe typical explanations stereos are FETs. Few people realise that are just as important as the negative. In _ of "static electricity", you will come to see "static electric" devices have taken over the one place you'll have more protons than _ "static" as a fairly rare phenomenon that has _ electronics industry, or that PCs are made electrons, and this place will have an over- little connection with the rest of the world. from microscopic electrostatic components, all positive charge. In the other spot you'll Yes, yes, lightning is impressive, and or that all the data in all the computers all have more electrons than protons, for an copiers and laser printers are convenient; over the world are stored as tiny patterns of overall negative charge in that region. but if "static" didn't exist, the world — electrostatic charges. You've not caused a "build-up of elec- wouldn't be much different, would it? ¢ "ATP" is the fuel which drives living trons": you've caused an imbalance, an In fact, electrostatics is a bit more impor- things, from bacteria to humans. One part uncancelling, a stretching apart, a separa- tant than we commonly assume. Contrary of the 1997 Nobel Prize in chemistry was tion of opposites which otherwise would _ to popular belief, standard "electric cur- awarded to the researchers Boyer and cancel each other. rent" circuits are deeply connected with Walker, who discovered how energy is In fact, one appropriate term for static electrostatics. For one thing, it is the elec - placed into ATP. It turns out that ATP is electrification is "charge separation". — trostatic force that drives electric current! assembled by an enzyme which is run by a Think for a moment: if you put the posi- "Voltage" is an electrostatic phenomenon; _ tiny rotating electrostatic motor! The tive and negative imbalances back together, voltage is electrostatic fields. Without "spring" in each ATP is "cocked" by a little where does the "build-up of electrons" go? electrostatics, there could be no voltage, —_ rotating molecular machine run by electro- Nowhere. There was no build-up there in hence no current and no electrical devices. _ statics. The reaction is reversible and ATP the first place. Putting the two polarities of It is totally wrong to build a false wall can drive the motor, changing it into an charge back together eliminates the imbal- between "static" and "current": it's as silly electrostatic generator. A typical human ance and forms normal, uncharged matter as teaching that "pressure" and "move- body contains around 10" of these rotary again. ment" are two separate types of water. — electrostatic motors. cancelled electric charge... Positive protons plus negative electrons equals reo en on NEXUS = 43 Matter is made out of neutral atoms. OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2005 www.nexusmagazine.com