Lightning ice cubes

Merry Christmas
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electricguy61

electricguy61

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Remotely running business in Bay Area, CA from Med
It’s 4am, woke up with terrible dry mouth. In the dark, using only the glow of all the little leds that are on every appliance (power thieves), I got a glass, and got out a plastic ice cube tray. Coolest sight: lightning as you twist the tray. You’d never see it in any kind of ambient light, but in the dark enough static electricity was generated to see the ice cubes flash.

Just thouht I’d share
 
electricguy61 said:
It’s 4am, woke up with terrible dry mouth. In the dark, using only the glow of all the little leds that are on every appliance (power thieves), I got a glass, and got out a plastic ice cube tray. Coolest sight: lightning as you twist the tray. You’d never see it in any kind of ambient light, but in the dark enough static electricity was generated to see the ice cubes flash.

Just thouht I’d share
Click to expand...

What's an ice tray?
 
My wife and I are care givers to my 85 year old mom and a 93 year old aunt. Both have Alzheimer’s / dementia. We just bought a beautiful home in Medford Oregon that has two master suites on the main floor, plus a big kitchen, living room, and indoor pool. To maintain our sanity, we sleep in the 1000’ sg ft effenciency apt downstairs. It has a small full kitchen, with a simple refrigerator (no ice maker). Both levels have decks with awesome views of the Rogue Valley. Wifey does all the cooking upstairs. Downstairs, there’s cream for the coffee in the refer, and ice cube trays in the freezer for adult beverages that are occasionally mandatory at the end of the day. Hence the plastic ice cube trays, which are actually a great step up from the old metal ones I had as a kid.
 
Our ice trays always got over run by the ice blocks that formed on the inside of the freezer section. Remember using an electric fan to defrost the compartment. It was too much work to get the tray out so just drank liquids warm. Still drink my beer at room temperature because we never put it in the frigidare.
 
electricguy61 said:
It’s 4am, woke up with terrible dry mouth. In the dark, using only the glow of all the little leds that are on every appliance (power thieves), I got a glass, and got out a plastic ice cube tray. Coolest sight: lightning as you twist the tray. You’d never see it in any kind of ambient light, but in the dark enough static electricity was generated to see the ice cubes flash.

Just thouht I’d share
Click to expand...

Thanks for this. I have plastic trays, and I had no idea of such physics. I can't wait to try it ! :cool:
 
Haha, auhu, my wife would ever fall for that! Not saying she wouldn't go but knows that's not why I got here into the closet.
 
K8MHZ said:
The effect is probably humidity dependent and may only work in very dry air.
Click to expand...
Since the discharges are internal to the ice, I doubt that the humidity would matter much. Look up "triboelectricity" and "piezoelectricity" for more information.

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GoldDigger said:
Since the discharges are internal to the ice, I doubt that the humidity would matter much. Look up "triboelectricity" and "piezoelectricity" for more information.

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"Electrostatic discharge may not be evident in humid climates because surface condensation normally prevents triboelectric charging, while increased humidity increases the electrical conductivity of the air."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_effect

So, if humidity didn't play a factor, it would be piezo of either of the two.
 
K8MHZ said:
"Electrostatic discharge may not be evident in humid climates because surface condensation normally prevents triboelectric charging, while increased humidity increases the electrical conductivity of the air."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triboelectric_effect

So, if humidity didn't play a factor, it would be piezo of either of the two.
Click to expand...

Exactly. :thumbsup:
You are not rubbing the ice cubes against anything, you are changing the shape of the ice crystal, both as you twist it and as it fractures.
 
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