Why does touching metal shock you?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Static discharge to conductor
Static discharge to conductor ✓ — Correct! Static electricity discharge! Walking on carpet transfers electrons to your body—you become charged (up to thousands of volts!). Touch metal doorknob (electrical conductor connected to ground)—electrons rapidly flow from you to ground through metal. Fast discharge = brief current spike = shock! Spark visible in dark (ionized air). Humidity reduces shocks (moisture conducts charge away slowly). Touch grounded metal first (keys) to discharge safely. Synthetic clothes worse than cotton!
Electrons flow from metal — Wrong. Electrons flow FROM your body TO metal (ground). You're charged from friction; metal provides discharge path.
Chemical reaction with skin — Wrong. No chemical reaction. Shock is electrostatic discharge—accumulated electrons on body flowing rapidly to ground through conductive metal.
More Physics in Daily Life questions
- In a warm office that already reads 26 C, which change can make people feel cooler without lowering the thermostat?
- Why might 26 C feel acceptable in a breezy naturally ventilated summer building but too warm in a sealed winter office?
- On a warm humid day, why can the same 27 C room feel much worse once you start sweating?
- Why can moving air make a 27 C room feel cooler without changing the thermometer?
- Which hidden factor can make a desk beside a cold window feel chilly even when the thermostat across the room still reads 22 C?
- In the same 22 C room, why might someone who just climbed stairs feel warm while someone sitting in a T-shirt feels chilly?