 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Static cling" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Static cling is the tendency for light objects to stick (cling) to other objects owing tostatic electricity. It is common in clothing, but occurs with other items, such as the tendency of dust to be attracted to, and stick to, plastic items, as well as fur, such as with cats, dogs, and hamsters.
In clothing, static cling occurs fromstatic electricity. Anelectrostatic charge builds up on clothes due to thetriboelectric effect when pieces of fabric rub against each other, as happens particularly in aclothes dryer. The separate positive and negatively charged surfaces attract each other. It is especially noticeable whenhumidity is low, allowing static electricity to build up. Certain substances can reduce static cling and are often included infabric softener and dryer sheets.Antistatic agents, which make the surfaces slightlyconductive, can be used on fabrics.
Dust accumulation caused by static cling is a significant issue for computers and other electronic devices with heat generating components that need to becooled by airflow. Dust is carried into the computer by the airflow created bycase- and component fans. The accumulated dust covers metal surfaces and clogs the empty space between the fins ofheatsinks, diminishing the dissipation of heat and interrupting the outward flow of warm air. Especially for critical components such asmicroprocessors andmemory banks, this raises the risk of them overheating which can ultimately damage or destroy them. To compensate, automatically controlled fans will raise their speed, generating more noise and shortening their lifespan. An additional risk is the (small) electrical conductivity of dust which, given enough accumulation of dust, can cause critical damage to the device's internal components. Dust accumulation grows exponentially, since the accumulated dust creates new static surfaces and physical blockades for new dust to cling to.
Advertisers in urban areas, eager to useguerilla marketing techniques, have turned to static cling as a distribution medium. In an advertising campaign forMicrosoft'sMSN 8 Internet service, on October 24, 2002, hundreds of decals of the MSN butterfly logo were affixed to surfaces inNew York City and theNew York Times reported that it was static cling that held them there.[1]
The dictionary definition ofstatic cling at Wiktionary