h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"I've had a Lucas pacemaker for years and have never experienced any prob..."

I think you could explain the mechanism by which you get a shock from the car better. You say that you and the car and everything else in the car are at the same potential, which is generated by friction with the air. But you get a shock from the car which suggests that you are at a different potential. You also say that you and the car are at a different potential because of friction between you and the car seats. Which is it, or is it both?

I don't think this entry should say anything about mobile phones, either way. I believe it is a myth that mobile phones can start fires in filling stations: mobile phones do not cause sparks, and no mobile phone has ever started a fire. I think you've enough in the entry without putting in something controversial as well.

G

<>

I don't have a clue, which is why I didn't want to have to write about the science.

I'm open to suggestions of how to word it better.

I'll go and remove the mobile phone references then read the backlog.

Updated, how does it read now?

Traveller in Time ('Gnomon' is on holliday to the south)
"You arrive at the gas station. Car and what is in it have same potential to earth.
You get out of the car and discharge with your conductive shoes. Car is still charged, you are at ground potential.

If you ever have any discharge inside the car it can be the chairs (which I doubt).

Thanks TiT, I've altered the 1st para now.

Traveller in Time skimming the entry
"No comments on style or grammar, just about the content:

>Things To Try

One gadget that does work (for about 100,000 Km) is a discharge wire mounted near the rear and under the car on the chassis (preferrably not on the fuel tank ). This is just a wire touching the street every few meters. Most charge building up on the car flows away before it can reach high levels.


>Make sure you have grounded yourself - touch the metal part of the vehicle - before . . .

The car is _not_ earth. Most gas stations have metal bars 'protecting' the pump. Touching these or other fixed bare metal gives a high chance of being discharged to ground.

Brushing your hair in the dark can give spectacular sights. Pulling out a sweather can also give some nice sparks. "

Typo:

by rubbing it on your hair, or your woolen jumper,> woollen

A3796301

Thanks RBA, typo corrected

TiT:
<<>Make sure you have grounded yourself - touch the metal part of the vehicle - before . . .

The car is _not_ earth. Most gas stations have metal bars 'protecting' the pump. Touching these or other fixed bare metal gives a high chance of being discharged to ground



Would you mind explaining this please? I mean, what should I write instead
I'm not a

<> do you want me to add this to the entry?

<>
What does "pulling out a sweather" mean?

Thanks very much

I think he meant 'pulling off a sweater'.

Aha

Traveller in Time still only skimming the entry
"You noted a jumper as static charging already . . .

Well, I try to share my experience and knowledge , it is your entry and should be written in your style. What I would do is search and read several articles about such 'discharge wires' and then rephrase it in my own words.
Anti-Static [Drag] Earth/Ground[ing] Wire/Chain/Strip seems to be the names.

I am just a newbee in Peer Review (One Edited Character, one Edited Entry and no badgers at the doorstep)
"

And I still don't know what to write, because I don't understand.

I thought touching the car stops you being zapped, (it works for me) but you're saying it's not earth. So why does it work?

Of course the car is earthed. Your battery wouldn't work otherwise.

B

GalaxyBabe,

The American Petroleum Institute agrees with you ...see paragraph four below.
http://www.pei.org/news/static.htm


1. Turn off your vehicle engine. Put your vehicle in park and/or set the emergency brake. Disable or turn off any auxiliary sources of ignition such as a camper or trailer heater, cooking units, or pilot lights.

2. Do not smoke, light matches or lighters while refueling at the pump or when using gasoline anywhere else.

3. Use only the refueling latch provided on the gasoline dispenser nozzle. Never jam the refueling latch on the nozzle open.

4. Do not re-enter your vehicle during refueling. If you cannot avoid re-entering your vehicle, discharge any static build-up BEFORE reaching for the nozzle by touching something metal with a bare hand -- such as the vehicle door -- away from the nozzle.)

5. In the unlikely event a static-caused fire occurs when refueling, leave the nozzle in the fill pipe and back away from the vehicle. Notify the station attendant immediately.

See post 27.

Would you & like to have an arguement then let me know who wins??

It's awfully difficult to amend/improve an entry when you get conflicting advice in PR.

Point 5 a bit of an understatement, I think. More a case of "leave the nozzle in the pipe and get blown backwards away from your car at great speed."

B

Or, do a Michael Schumacher and sit calmly with the flames all around you until your friendly petrol station attendant puts them out, and then go on your merry way.

"I thought touching the car stops you being zapped, (it works for me) but you're saying it's not earth. So why does it work?"

Look at your own Entry:

"You arrive at the petrol station. Car and what is in it have same potential to earth. You get out of the car and discharge with your conductive shoes. Car is still charged, you are at ground potential, static electric discharge (SED) occurs."

So, it doesn't matter what potential you and the car are at, as long as it's the same. (The key phrase in electricity flow is 'potential difference'.) By touching the body of the car every so often as you travel you keep yourself at the same potential as the car, so you won't get a shock off it. When you leave the car, you change potential, and may get a shock off it, as you explained above.

At least, I think that's what's going on.

TRiG.

Let's leave the science and get on with the proofreading. I know what I'm doing there!

"100,000 Km" --> "100,000 km"

"(They are probably not wearing tights)." --> "(They are probably not wearing tights.)"

"Opposites attract, the balloon sticks." --> "Opposites attract: the balloon sticks." (I'm not certain of this one. What do you think?)