In the last few days, a video viral on social media it has captured the attention of millions of people, showing a supposedly infallible method for understanding whether a battery is charged or discharged. In practice it would be sufficient to place one pole of the battery on the touch screen of a smartphone. If touching the other pole with a finger activates the touch, then the battery will be charged; if it is not activated, the battery will be flat. But will it be true? As is often the case online, not everything is as it seems. This video, as spectacular as it is, is a hoax well designed: what appears on the smartphone screen is nothing more than one pre-recorded screen video capture to create the illusion that battery charge actually has an effect on the touchscreen.
How the smartphone touchscreen really works
To understand where the deception lies, it is useful to start with the basics. THE touch screen modern devices, such as those present on smartphones, work thanks to the technology capacitive. In short, it takes advantage of the human body’s ability to conduct electricity: when a finger touch the screen, alter the field electrostatic at a precise point, allowing the device to detect the location of the touch.
Objects made of materials conductivelike the metal or even thewaterfallcan simulate the operation of the finger. This explains why the stacksalthough dischargedthey can activate a touch screen: the metal that covers them conducts electricity And “deceives” the screen, making him believe there is a finger.
The trick behind the fake stack video
In the case of the viral video, however, it is not a real phenomenon, but rather an artfully constructed deception. Here’s how it was made:
Screen Recording: The author of the video started a recording of the phone screen.
Key Programming: While recording, he pressed the “6” key on the numeric keypad several times to make it appear as if that was activating the display.
Video synchronization: Once he had the recording, he played it back trying to synchronize his finger movement with the pre-recorded video. This way, it looks like your finger is actually activating the touchscreen with a flashlight.
Why is debunking important?
Videos like this remind us how easy it is to fall victim to content deceptive online. In an age where anyone can publish and share information, this is crucial ask yourself A few questions before accepting anything we see on the web as true:
- Is it plausible? Knowing at least the scientific basis of a topic helps to distinguish between reality and fiction.
- What is the source? Check who published the content, whether they report data approved by the scientific community or whether they demonstrate what they claim with valid experiments.
The debunking it is not just an intellectual exercise. It helps reduce the misinformation and to promote conscious use of technology and platforms online.
