Chapter 6, Problem 48R

To determine

To predict: Whether a person after walking across a carpet on a dry day receives an electric shock on touching a wood column.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:The accumulation of excess electric charge on an objectis known as static electricity.

When the person walks across a carpet on a dry day, the electrons from the carpet move towards him/her due to the affinity for electrons. Thus, he/she becomes negatively charged and the carpet, which has lost electrons become positively charged.

When the person touches a wood column, he/she does not get an electric shock because wood being an insulator does not conduct the excess electrons.

Conclusion: A person after walking across a carpet on a dry day does not receives an electric shock on touching a wood column because the wood being an insulator does not conduct the excess electrons on the person’s boy.