Keep reading for an expert's explanation as to why these shocks can happen, and how to get rid of static electricity as well—hopefully preventing those unwelcome zaps!

During winter, everyday actions like handling a door knob or flipping on a light switch are more likely to result in a jolt of static electricity shock.

Static electricity often just seems like an everyday annoyance when a wool sweater crackles as you pull it off, or when a doorknob delivers an unexpected zap. Regardless, the phenomenon is much mor… ...

Page 4 of 4 Understanding Static Electricity in Entry Ventilation Feb 01, 2005 WORKING in tanks, manholes, and underground vaults are some of the most dangerous and potentially lethal occupations ...

A static charge was built up by rotating the drum for about 20 minutes. The researchers then tipped the drum up, allowing the particles to fall through an electrometer to measure their charge.

The same force that zaps us in the winter may be how a summer parasite gets around. Dan Smith highlights new research between ticks and static electricity, in your "Moment of Science".

By measuring the extent of this influence, the team found that large swarms could produce as much charge as a storm cloud.

Charge stripes put to the test of time To see whether the charge stripes were static or fluctuating in their compound, the scientists used a technique called x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy.