WHY ELECTROSTATIC EXPERIMENT DOESN't work properly in humid temperature?

Answer 1

Why does high humidity affect electrostatic devices? Simple: it makes surfaces conductive enough to "short out" the devices. Under high-humidity conditions, insulating surfaces can behave as a dead short, almost like metal, even though their resistance remains too high to easily measure. A paradox? No.

Electrostatic effects deal with high voltage at little or no current. Because the voltage is high and the current low, even a fairly insulating object can act like an conductor when used with electrostatic devices. Ohm's Law tells us that high voltage at low current implies high resistance. For normal, non-electrostatic circuitry, low voltage at high current implies LOW resistance. Therefor we can say that "conductivity" in the electrostatic realm involve enormous values of electrical resistance, while "conductivity" in normal circuitry does not.


For example: A generator that produces 1 microamp at 10,000 volts has an inherent series source impedance of 10^10, ten billion ohms. (Compare a 1.5v D-cell, which has far less than one ohm internal series impedance.) If the source-impedance of an electrostatic generator is ten billion ohms, then any material having much less than this resistance will act as a good conductor, while materials having much more resistance will be insulators. (Compare to a D-cell, where 'conductors' must be lots less than one ohm, and 'insulators' must be much greater.)

Answer 2

You just answered your question. Dry air has better conductivity like in Las Vegas; humid air much less so with the many layers.

Answer 3

because the environment may hinder the conductivity of the experiment. as humidity carries water particles which is a good conductor.

Answer 4

Because water conducts electricity so it uses moisture in the air to get to Earth/ Ground (via the fastest easiest) route without have to jump far enough for you to see it.

Answer 5

Can you explain more !