Static electricity... we've got more to learn

[Maxmars]

As it turns out, some observant researchers in at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria reported some 'limitations' in our understanding of static electricity.

Contact Electrification, or Static Electricity happens when two objects get within a certain distance of one another, their charge difference changes relative to how they began.

The methods used to study this phenomenon left an unusual persistent charge pattern on the plate.  
The research proceeds from there...

New experiments on static electricity cast doubt on previous studies in the field
 

“The biggest challenge in our work was realizing – and then accepting – that we could not reproduce the results from this previous study,” Pertl says. “Convincing both my principal investigator and myself that our data revealed a very different physical mechanism required patience, persistence and trust in our experimental approach.”

The discrepancy, he adds, implies that the surface heterogeneity previously observed was likely not a feature of static electricity, as was claimed. Instead, he says, it was probably “an artefact of the inability to image the charge before it had left the sample surface”.

Exemplifying how embracing one failure can lead to multiple future successes.

And if this leads to new research and better data...
The PI should be congratulated on not hiding the
keen analytical work of his research assistants.

[argentus]

Fascinating article!    Tesla did quite a bit of work with electrostatics and such.    I remember something about static caused by the friction of fluids also, but I confess I don't think I understood it well.   I wonder if or how much of Tesla's work was suppressed.   Another thread.  

You said, "Exemplifying how embracing one failure can lead to multiple future successes."   Brother, you said a mouthful.   Profound and true.

[Sky727]

I would not be surprised if the "electric universe" people are right after all is said and done !