Static electricity is a ubiquitous part of everyday life. It’s all around us, sometimes funny and obvious, as when it makes your hair stand on end, sometimes hidden and useful, as when harnessed by ...

We’re all familiar with static electricity and its many “appearances.” It can be an annoying spark when you walk across a rug; allow you to stick a balloon against a wall after rubbing it across your ...

You may consider fall to be the best time of year in Phoenix, thanks to the mild weather. Yet the conditions that produce this lovely seasonal interlude are responsible for one of life's little ...

A stream of compressed air does not look like a power source. In factories, it usually hisses through pipes, drives tools, then disappears as waste.

WORKING in tanks, manholes, and underground vaults are some of the most dangerous and potentially lethal occupations found in the industrial work environment. Federal, state, and corporate safety ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...