Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity No issues Abstract A tried and true balloon activity is to rub a balloon on your head to make your hair stand up. How does the rubbing build up static electricity? Do this experiment to see if the number of rubs makes a difference. Objective Test if the number of rubs of wool on a balloon increases or decreases how long the static charge will last. Credits Sara Agee, Ph.D., Science Buddies Cite This Page MLA Style Science Buddies Staff. "Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity" Science Buddies. Science Buddies, 4 May 2015. Web. 19 Jan. 2017 < APA Style Science Buddies Staff. (2015, May 4). Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity. Retrieved January 19, 2017 from Share your story with Science Buddies! I Did This Project! Please log in and let us know how things went. Last edit date: 2015-05-04 Introduction Static electricity is the build-up of electrical charge in an object. Sometimes static electricity can suddenly discharge, like when a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky.

Other times, static electricity can cause objects to cling to each other, like socks fresh out of the dryer. The static cling is an attraction between two objects with different charges, positive (+) and negative (–). You can create static electricity by rubbing one object against another object. This is because the rubbing releases negative charges, called electrons, that build up to produce a static charge. For example, when you shuffle your feet across a carpet, you are making many small contacts between the surface of your feet and the carpet, allowing electrons to transfer to you, building up a static charge on your skin. You can suddenly discharge this static charge as a shock when you touch a friend or some objects. Similarly, when you rub a balloon on your head it causes opposite static charges to build up in your hair and in the balloon. You can see these two opposite static charges attracting each other when you pull the balloon slowly away from your head making your hair stand up, as shown in Figure 1, below. You can learn more about electric charges and static electricity in the Science Buddies Electricity, Magnetism, & Electromagnetism Tutorial . Figure 1. Static electricity makes your hair stand up!

(NASA, 2004) In this experiment you will test if the number of rubs can change how long the static charge will last by rubbing a balloon with wool and timing how long it will cling to a wall. Wool is a material that readily donates its electrons, so when you rub the balloon with it it will donate its electrons to the surface of the balloon, giving part of the balloon a negative charge. The wall should normally have a neutral charge, but the charges within it can rearrange so that a positively charged area is interacting with the negatively charged balloon, causing the balloon to stick to it. By doing this experiment you can investigate how effective rubbing wool against a balloon is at creating static electricity and a static charge. Terms and Concepts How does friction produce static electricity? How is static electricity related to charge? How can you measure static electricity? Bibliography Science Made Simple. (n.d.). Static Electricity: What Causes Static Shocks? Retrieved March 18, 2006 from Museum of Science, Boston. (n.d.). Static Electricity: Electricity Medley. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from The Library of Congress. (2011, June 1).

How does static electricity work? Everyday Mysteries. Retrieved June 19, 2014, from Brynie, F.H., 2005. Parents Crash Course: Elementary School Science Fair Projects, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing Inc. pp 124-130. For help creating graphs, try this website: National Center for Education Statistics, (n.d.). Create a Graph. Retrieved June 2, 2009, from News Feed on This Topic , , Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed Materials and Equipment Balloons (at least 3). Smaller balloons, like water balloons, may work better in humid environments, but you will still blow the balloons up with air. Woolly sweater, scarf, or blanket Stopwatch Share your story with Science Buddies! I Did This Project! Please log in and let us know how things went. Experimental Procedure For this experiment, you will need a data table for your results.

You will need one data table for each trial, so make at least three data tables for doing at least three separate trials. You can use a data table like Table 1. Number of Rubs Table 1. You can use a data table like this one to write down your results. Blow up the balloon and tie off the end. Rub the balloon on the scarf once, in one direction. Hold the balloon up on the wall, start the stop watch and release. Does it stay on the wall? If not, stop your stop watch and write "0 seconds" in your data table. Touch the balloon to a metal object. This should discharge any extra electrons into the metal. Repeat steps 3 to 5, increasing the number of rubs each time until the balloon sticks to the wall. When you increase the number of rubs do not rub the balloon back and forth, but instead always rub the balloon in the same direction each time. When the balloon does stick to the wall, keep the stop watch going until the balloon falls off of the wall. When it does, stop the stop watch and write the time in the data table next to the matching number of rubs.

Repeat step 7, increasing the number of rubs each time and recording the amount of time the balloon sticks to the wall with the stop watch. Write the results in the data table each time. You can continue increasing the number of rubs until you have several data points for the balloon sticking to the wall. Make a graph of your results. You can make your graph by hand or you could use a program like Create a Graph to make it on a computer and print it out. A line graph is the best type of graph for this experiment. Make a scale on the left side of the graph (Y-axis) for the time in seconds, and a scale on the bottom of the graph (X-axis) for the number of robots. For each point of data, make a dot where the number of rubs and the time in seconds intersect. Analyze your results. Does your data make a line? Does the line go up or down? Does the line level off at some point, or keep going? Does the time the balloon stays on the wall increase or decrease with the number of rubs? Repeat steps 2–10 at least two more times so you have done a total of at least three trials total.

Does the data for each trial match with the previous trials? Share your story with Science Buddies! I Did This Project! Please log in and let us know how things went. Variations Does rubbing in one direction give a different result than rubbing back and forth? Try a different experiment comparing the same number of rubs in one direction compared to back and forth. Does one stay up on the wall longer than the other? Static electricity is not good when it gets in your clothes! How do dryer sheets work? Try an experiment rubbing the balloon with a dryer sheet (like Bounce) after rubbing against the wool. What happens to the static cling? Can you rub different times, measure the results and make a graph? If you can, you can make a graph to compare the results of different products. How do they compare? Do they take the same number of rubs to reduce the static cling? Which brands are most effective? Try comparing the effectiveness of different materials for producing a static charge. Does rubbing wool work better than rubbing silk? Design an experiment to test several different materials: silk, wool, nylon, polyester, plastic, metal, etc.

For a more advanced experiment, try investigating static electricity in different conditions, temperatures and humidities (Brynie, 2005). Share your story with Science Buddies! I Did This Project! Please log in and let us know how things went. If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers: Physicist Physicists have a big goal in mind—to understand the nature of the entire universe and everything in it! To reach that goal, they observe and measure natural events seen on Earth and in the universe, and then develop theories, using mathematics, to explain why those phenomena occur. Physicists take on the challenge of explaining events that happen on the grandest scale imaginable to those that happen at the level of the smallest atomic particles. Their theories are then applied to human-scale projects to bring people new technologies, like computers, lasers, and fusion energy. Read more Materials Scientist and Engineer What makes it possible to create high-technology objects like computers and sports gear? It's the materials inside those products. Materials scientists and engineers develop materials, like metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites, that other engineers need for their designs.

Materials scientists and engineers think atomically (meaning they understand things at the nanoscale level), but they design microscopically (at the level of a microscope), and their materials are used macroscopically (at the level the eye can see). From heat shields in space, prosthetic limbs, semiconductors, and sunscreens to snowboards, race cars, hard drives, and baking dishes, materials scientists and engineers make the materials that make life better. Read more News Feed on This Topic , , Note: A computerized matching algorithm suggests the above articles. It's not as smart as you are, and it may occasionally give humorous, ridiculous, or even annoying results! Learn more about the News Feed Looking for more science fun? Try one of our science activities for quick, anytime science explorations. The perfect thing to liven up a rainy day, school vacation, or moment of boredom. Attraction with Static Electricity - Scientific American Scientific American An electrically charged challenge from Science Buddies By Science Buddies on January 12, 2012 Conductors Introduction Have you ever wondered why rubbing a balloon or a blanket—or even a winter hat—on your head makes your hair stand up?

The effect is due to static electricity, but how is the static electricity made, and why does it make your hair stand on end? Static electricity is the buildup of electrical charge in an object. Sometimes static electricity can suddenly discharge, such as when a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky. Other times, static electricity can cause objects to cling to one another. Think of how socks fresh out of the dryer stick together. This happens when objects have opposite charges, positive and negative, which attract. (Objects with the same charges repel one another.) Could enough static electricity make a balloon stick to a wall? How much do you think you would have to rub it? Background When one object is rubbed against another, static electricity can be created. This is because the rubbing creates a negative charge that is carried by electrons. The electrons can build up to produce static electricity. For example, when you shuffle your feet across a carpet, you are creating many surface contacts between your feet and the carpet, allowing electrons to transfer to you, thereby building up a static charge on your skin. When you touch another person or an object, you can suddenly discharge the static as an electrical shock.

Similarly, when you rub a balloon on your head it causes opposite static charges to build up both on your hair and the balloon. Consequently, when you pull the balloon slowly away from your head, you can see these two opposite static charges attracting one another and making your hair stand up. Materials • Balloon • An object made out of wool (such as a sweater, scarf, blanket or ball of yarn) • Stopwatch • Blow up the balloon and tie off the end. • Have your partner prepare to use the stopwatch. Procedure • Hold the balloon in a way that your hand covers as little of its surface area as possible, such as by using only your thumb and pointer finger or by gripping the balloon by its neck where it is tied off. • Rub the balloon on the woolly object once, in one direction. • Hold the balloon up on the wall with the side that was rubbed against the wool facing the wall, then release it. Does the balloon stay stuck on the wall? If the balloon stays stuck, have your partner immediately start the stopwatch to time how long the balloon remains bound to the wall. If the balloon does not stick, move to the next step. • Touch the balloon to a metal object.

Why do you think this is important to do? • Repeat the above process but each time increase the number of times you rub the balloon on the woolly object. Rub the balloon in the same direction each time. (Do not rub the balloon back and forth.) How many rubs does it take to make the balloon stick to the wall for a few seconds? What about multiple minutes? • You can repeat this whole process two more times. Do your observations for each trial match with the previous trials? • Extra: Does rubbing in one direction give a different result than rubbing back and forth? Try comparing the same number of rubs in one direction with those done back and forth. Does one stay on the wall longer than the other? • Extra: Try comparing the effectiveness of different materials for producing a static charge. Does rubbing wool work better than rubbing silk? Design an experiment to test several different materials: silk, wool, nylon, polyester, plastic, metal, etcetera. Observations and results In general, did the balloon stick to the wall for a longer amount of time as you increased the number of times you rubbed the balloon on the woolly object? Wool is a conductive material, which means it readily gives away its electrons.

Consequently, when you rub a balloon on wool, this causes the electrons to move from the wool to the balloon's surface. The rubbed part of the balloon now has a negative charge. Objects made of rubber, such as the balloon, are electrical insulators, meaning that they resist electric charges flowing through them. This is why only part of the balloon may have a negative charge (where the wool rubbed it) and the rest may remain neutral. When the balloon has been rubbed enough times to gain a sufficient negative charge, it will be attracted to the wall. Although the wall should normally have a neutral charge, the charges within it can rearrange so that a positively charged area attracts the negatively charged balloon. Because the wall is also an electrical insulator, the charge is not immediately discharged. However, because metal is an electrical conductor, when you rub the balloon against metal the extra electrons in the balloon quickly leave the balloon and move into the metal so the balloon is no longer attracted and does not adhere.

More to explore Balloons and Static Electricity - Static Electricity | Electric Charges | Electric Force - PhET Interactive Simulations Balloons and Static Electricity Embed a running copy of this simulation <iframe src="" width="800" height="600" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen></iframe> Use this HTML to embed a running copy of this simulation. You can change the width and height of the embedded simulation by changing the "width" and "height" attributes in the HTML.

Embed an image that will launch the simulation when clicked <div style="position: relative; width: 300px; height: 200px;"><a href="" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="" alt="Balloons and Static Electricity" style="border: none;" width="300" height="200"/><div style="position: absolute; width: 200px; height: 80px; left: 50px; top: 60px; background-color: #FFF; opacity: 0.6; filter: alpha(opacity = 60);"></div><table style="position: absolute; width: 200px; height: 80px; left: 50px; top: 60px;"><tr><td style="text-align: center; color: #000; font-size: 24px; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Click to Run</td></tr></table></a></div> Use this HTML code to display a screenshot with the words "Click to Run".

Static Electricity Static Electricity COPYRIGHT © 1996, 2000 BY SCIENCE MADE SIMPLE, INC. PO Box 503, Voorhees, NJ 08043 Learn More About: Triboelectric Series, Coulomb's Law You walk across the rug, reach for the doorknob and..........ZAP!!! You get a shock. Or, you come inside from the cold, pull off your hat and......BOING!!! All your hair stands on end. What is going on here? And why does it only happen in the winter? The answer is: STATIC ELECTRICITY To understand what static electricity is, we have to learn a little bit about the nature of matter. Or in other words, what is all the stuff around us made of? EVERYTHING IS MADE OF ATOMS Imagine a pure gold ring. Divide it in half and give one of the halves away. Keep dividing and dividing and dividing. Soon you will have a piece so small you will not be able to see it without a microscope. It may be very, very small, but it is still a piece of gold.

If you could keep dividing it into smaller and smaller pieces, you would finally get to the smallest piece of gold possible. It is called an atom. If you divided it into smaller pieces, it would no longer be gold. Everything around us is made of atoms. Scientists so far have found only 115 different kinds of atoms. Everything you see is made of different combinations of these atoms. PARTS OF AN ATOM So what are atoms made of? In the middle of each atom is a "nucleus." The nucleus contains two kinds of tiny particles, called protons and neutrons. Orbiting around the nucleus are even smaller particles called electrons. The 115 kinds of atoms are different from each other because they have different numbers of protons, neutrons and electrons. It is useful to think of a model of the atom as similar to the solar system. The nucleus is in the center of the atom, like the sun in the center of the solar system. The electrons orbit around the nucleus like the planets around the sun. Just like in the solar system, the nucleus is large compared to the electrons. The atom is mostly empty space. And the electrons are very far away from the nucleus.

While this model is not completely accurate, we can use it to help us understand static electricity. (Note: A more accurate model would show the electrons moving in 3- dimensional volumes with different shapes, called orbitals. This may be discussed in a future issue.) ELECTRICAL CHARGES Protons, neutrons and electrons are very different from each other. They have their own properties, or characteristics. One of these properties is called an electrical charge. Protons have what we call a "positive" (+) charge. Electrons have a "negative" (-) charge. Neutrons have no charge, they are neutral. The charge of one proton is equal in strength to the charge of one electron. When the number of protons in an atom equals the number of electrons, the atom itself has no overall charge, it is neutral. ELECTRONS CAN MOVE The protons and neutrons in the nucleus are held together very tightly. Normally the nucleus does not change. But some of the outer electrons are held very loosely. They can move from one atom to another. An atom that looses electrons has more positive charges (protons) than negative charges (electrons). It is positively charged.

An atom that gains electrons has more negative than positive particles. It has a negative charge. A charged atom is called an "ion." Some materials hold their electrons very tightly. Electrons do not move through them very well. These things are called insulators. Plastic, cloth, glass and dry air are good insulators. Other materials have some loosely held electrons, which move through them very easily. These are called conductors. Most metals are good conductors. How can we move electrons from one place to another? One very common way is to rub two objects together. If they are made of different materials, and are both insulators, electrons may be transferred (or moved) from one to the other. The more rubbing, the more electrons move, and the larger the charges built up. (Scientists believe that it is not the rubbing or friction that causes electrons to move. It is simply the contact between two different materials. Rubbing just increases the contact area between them.) Static electricity is the imbalance of positive and negative charges. OPPOSITES ATTRACT Now, positive and negative charges behave in interesting ways. Did you ever hear the saying that opposites attract? Well, it's true.

Two things with opposite, or different charges (a positive and a negative) will attract, or pull towards each other. Things with the same charge (two positives or two negatives) will repel, or push away from each other. A charged object will also attract something that is neutral. Think about how you can make a balloon stick to the wall. If you charge a balloon by rubbing it on your hair, it picks up extra electrons and has a negative charge. Holding it near a neutral object will make the charges in that object move. If it is a conductor, many electrons move easily to the other side, as far from the balloon as possible. If it is an insulator, the electrons in the atoms and molecules can only move very slightly to one side, away from the balloon. In either case, there are more positive charges closer to the negative balloon. Opposites attract. The balloon sticks. (At least until the electrons on the balloon slowly leak off.) It works the same way for neutral and positively charged objects. So what does all this have to do with shocks? Or hair full of static? When you take off your wool hat, it rubs against your hair. Electrons move from your hair to the hat.

Now each of the hairs has the same positive charge. Remember, things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to get as far from each other as possible. The farthest they can get is by standing up and away from the others. Bad hair day! As you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra electrons. Touch a door knob and ZAP! The door knob is a conductor. The electrons move from you to the knob. You get a shock. We usually only notice static electricity in the winter when the air is very dry. During the summer, the air is more humid. The water in the air helps electrons move off you more quickly, so you can not build up as big a charge. How does static electricity work? (Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress) An imbalance between negative and positive charges in objects. Have you ever walked across the room to pet your dog, but got a shock instead? Perhaps you took your hat off on a dry winter's day and had a "hair raising" experience! Or, maybe you have made a balloon stick on the wall after rubbing it against your clothes? Why do these things happen? Is it magic?

No, it's not magic; it's static electricity! Before understanding static electricity, we first need to understand the basics of atoms and magnetism. All physical objects are made up of atoms. Inside an atom are protons, electrons and neutrons. The protons are positively charged, the electrons are negatively charged, and the neutrons are neutral. Therefore, all things are made up of charges. Opposite charges attract each other (negative to positive). Like charges repel each other (positive to positive or negative to negative). Most of the time positive and negative charges are balanced in an object, which makes that object neutral. Static electricity is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges in an object. These charges can build up on the surface of an object until they find a way to be released or discharged. One way to discharge them is through a circuit. The rubbing of certain materials against one another can transfer negative charges, or electrons. For example, if you rub your shoe on the carpet, your body collects extra electrons. The electrons cling to your body until they can be released. As you reach and touch your furry friend, you get a shock. Don't worry, it is only the surplus electrons being released from you to your unsuspecting pet.

And what about that "hair raising" experience? As you remove your hat, electrons are transferred from hat to hair, creating that interesting hairdo! Remember, objects with the same charge repel each other. Because they have the same charge, your hair will stand on end. Your hairs are simply trying to get as far away from each other as possible! When you rub a balloon against your clothes and it sticks to the wall, you are adding a surplus of electrons (negative charges) to the surface of the balloon. The wall is now more positively charged than the balloon. As the two come in contact, the balloon will stick because of the rule that opposites attract (positive to negative). For more static electricity information and experiments, see the list of Web Resources and Further Reading sections. Related Web Sites Science Made Simple: What is static electricity? - There are four sections to Science Made Simple's Static Electricity Page: "1) The main section gives a clear, detailed answer to the question. 2) 'I Can Read' pages are written in simple, clear language for young readers.

3) 'Learn More About It' pages are more difficult and cover additional information in more depth 4) Projects are included for each topic." Static Electricity Page created by Bill Beaty - This Web site contains a list of Web links for static electricity build it projects, articles, Web sites, companies, and much more. Kids Science News Network: What is static electricity? Sponsored by NASA, The Kids Science News Network (KSSN) teaches mathematics, science, and technology to students, teachers, and parents in a fun, entertaining, and educational manner. There is a downloadable "newsbreak" film which answers the question "What is static electricity?". Also included are activities, a quiz, additional resources & a list of related Web links. Kids Science News Network Homepage has a complete list of questions and answers, such as, "Why is the sky blue?". Further Reading Moore, A.D. Electrostatics: exploring, controlling, and using static electricity. 1st ed. Garden City, NJ, Doubleday,1968. 240 p. Oxlade, Chris. Electricity & magnetism. Des Plaines, IL, Heinemann Library, c.2000. 32 p.

(Juvenile literature) Sootin, Harry. Experiments with static electricity. New York, Norton, 1969. 85 p. For more print resources... Search on "electricity ," or "electrostatics." in the Library of Congress Online Catalog . Two girls are "electrified" during an experiment at the Liberty Science Center "Camp-in", February 5, 2002. America's Story, Liberty Science Center "Camp-in" Young man seated next to a Holtz electrostatic influence machine, Dickinson College, 1889 . From the Prints and Photographs Catalog, Library of Congress. Group of young women studying static electricity in normal school, Washington, D.C . Photo - c. 1899. From the Prints and Photographs Catalog, Library of Congress. Energy & Eelectricity Wool scarf or sweater What You Do: Blow up the balloon and tie the end, so no air can escape. Rub the balloon several times with the wool. Bring the balloon close to your bare arm to watch the small hairs stand on end. You can also bring the balloon close to a friend's head and watch his or her hair stick out in all directions!

Bring the balloon towards your arm once more, this time letting it touch your skin. After it has touched your arm, will the balloon still raise your hair? Rub the balloon with the wool again, then hold it next to a wall, moving it gently back and forth for a few seconds before letting go. With an adult's help, you can also try sticking the balloon to the ceiling. What Happened: Have you ever gone down a slide at the playground, and felt your hair sticking up? The slide and your hair rub against each other and create static electricity, which can stick to any surface, unlike other types of electricity that only flow through wires. When you rub the balloon and wool object together, it gives the balloon an electric charge, meaning it is full of static electricity. This charge makes the balloon move towards the wall and stick there even after you move your hand. It also pulls the hair on your arm towards the balloon, even though your arm is not touching it. When the balloon does touch your arm, it loses its electric charge. The static electricity is transferred to your arm and then to the floor, where it spreads out until it has disappeared.

Now if you move the balloon up to your hair, it won't stand up, since there is no longer any static electricity in the balloon. Rubbing the balloon again with the wool will create more static electricity and you can do it all over again. Bend in the Stream Bend a stream of water using a comb to see how static electricity can pull or push things! What You Need: Hard rubber or plastic comb Wool scarf or sweater What You Do: Turn the faucet on so a small, steady stream is flowing. The stream should be no thicker than your pinky finger. Rub the comb over the wool sweater or through clean, dry hair several times. Hold the teeth of the comb close to the stream of water, but don't put the comb into the water. What Happened: Did you see the stream of water bend towards the comb? The water was pulled towards the comb through static electricity. Rubbing the comb and sweater together created static electricity, which gave the comb an electrical charge. The electrical charge is what drew the water towards the comb.

Water is neutral, meaning it cannot have an electrical charge, but it can be pushed away (repelled by) or pulled towards (attracted to) something with an electric force, like the comb that was full of static electricity. Solar Hot Air Balloon Use a trash bag to make a hot air balloon that gets its power from the sun! You will need to do this experiment on a warm, sunny day without wind. What You Need: String or yarn (about 8 feet long) Hairdryer (optional) What You Do: Take the twist tie, string, and trash bag outside to a cool, shady spot. Open up the trash bag and swing it around, filling it with cool air. When the trash bag is full of air, close it up tightly using a twist tie. Tie the piece of yarn or string around the bag near the twist tie, then take it out into the sun. Tie the other end of the string to a picnic table or chair in a sunny spot, away from trees. Watch to see if anything happens in the next few minutes. Come back later (it may take an hour or more) to see the results of your experiment.

If you don't have time to wait, use the hairdryer to warm the air inside the trash bag, then quickly bring it outside and hold onto the string. Watch what happens. What Happened: You should have eventually seen the trash bag slowly start to float up in the air. The sun not only gives light, it also gives heat. The color black absorbs a lot of heat, so the air inside of the black trash bag was warmer than the air outside it. As air heats up, it expands (spreads out), becoming lighter. Since warm air is lighter, it always rises above cool air. The black trash bag started to rise up as the air inside it got warmer. If you used a hairdryer to heat the air inside the bag, the same thing happened, you just used electrical power to heat the air instead of solar (sun) power! The fact that hot air rises is part of the reason why the lower level (or the basement) of a house feels cooler than the upstairs levels. Fun Facts If we could collect all the sunlight that reaches the earth in one hour, it would be enough to supply the world with energy for one year! A lightning bolt's power can be 2 million times greater than a flashlight bulb!

One spark of static electricity can be as much as 2,000 times greater than the power of a flashlight bulb! Silly Science Why did the gardener plant a light bulb? He wanted to grow a power plant! How did Benjamin Franklin feel when he discovered electricity? He was shocked. What plant has the most energy? A current bush. Way Cool Websites At the Energy Kid's Page, find riddles, games, and more ! Play Memory Match and see how many tries it takes you to match all of the pairs. At EnergyQuest , find out more about energy and electricity. Teacher Tidbits What Is Energy? Energyis what we need in order to do things. It is the ability to do work. Everything we do, from jumping to drawing a picture, uses energy! Our bodies use energy that we get from the food we eat. Food contains energy, and when we eat it, our bodies convert the energy from the food into the energy that we need to do work or to play. Food is sort of like the fuel that we need to get things done, just like a car needs fuel to get from one place to another. Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can change from one form to another.

This is tricky, because sometimes energy is being stored and you can't tell it's there. Stored energy is called potential energy. Fuel is a good example of stored or potential energy. It provides energy, but it can't do any work on its own. When energy is being used, it is called moving energy or kinetic energy. When a car runs, it changes the stored energy in fuel into moving energy, which makes the car go! Here is a more simple example: If you hold a ball up in the air, it has potential energy. When you let go, it has kinetic energy as it falls to the ground. Can you think of other examples of potential and kinetic energy? There are lots of types of energy besides the kind that your body uses. Types of Energy Electricity - One very important type of energy that we use every day is electricity. Electricity is what makes the lights in your house turn on and what keeps the refrigerator running. Electrical energy (the energy that comes from electricity) is used to do important jobs that help us cook dinner, wash clothes, or drive to the store. The car, TV, computer, air conditioner, and kitchen stove all use electricity. Can you think of more examples of electricity?

Static Electricity - When you run across carpet, then touch a doorknob, your hand might get a little shock. That was static electricity, which can also make your hair stand on end, or a balloon stick to the wall. To understand how this happens, you first need to know about matter, the stuff everything is made of. Tiny bits of matter, called atoms, that are too small for you to see, form together to make all that you see around you. Atoms are made out of even smaller pieces (or particles) called electrons and protons. These particles, even though they are so tiny, have a lot of force (they are really strong). This force is called an electrical charge. When you rubbed the balloon with the wool in the first experiment, some of the electrons in the wool moved to the balloon, giving it a different electrical charge. This made the balloon stick to the wall. Static electricity happens only in dry weather. Water or moisture in the air makes it harder for the electrons and protons to move. In the summer, there is more moisture (or humidity) in the air, which is why you usually feel static electrical shocks in the winter, or on a dry day.

Lightning - Did you know lightning is a form of static electricity? That bright flash of light that you see during a storm, although it lasts less than a second, has a lot of electrical charge! Usually lightning appears when electricity moves from the dry air in the sky to the ground. Lightning makes a crooked path, moving away from things that block its way through the sky, like wind or rain. Solar Energy - Solar energy comes from the sun. The sun shines in the day, giving us light. It also makes the earth warmer, giving us heat. The sun has a lot of energy, which comes to the earth through light. Rays of light have energy. This energy can be changed into electricity with a solar cell. A solar cell collects sunlight, and then the sunlight breaks up into electrons and protons which flow through wire and bring electrical energy to a light bulb or other object that is connected to it. Solar energy can be used for a lot of things, such as powering vehicles, traffic lights, lights in a home or outdoors, heating water or pools, cooking food (learn how to Build a Solar Oven ), and more. Batteries - A battery stores electrical energy.

This means that a battery has a lot of potential energy, which turns into kinetic energy if you put the battery in a toy or flashlight. In a flashlight, wires connect the battery to a light bulb. The battery's electrical energy flows inside the wires and is carried to the light bulb, changing the potential energy from the battery into the kinetic energy that makes the bulb light up. Printable Worksheet Use this connect-the-dots coloring worksheet to help kids review three different types of energy. After completing the worksheet, they can draw pictures of other sources of energy in the space provided. Science Words Energy- what we need in order to do all the things we do every day. Potential Energy- stored energy that is not being used; when something is not moving. Kinetic Energy- active energy that is being used; when something is moving. Electricity- energy that is created by the pulling and pushing of electrons and protons. Science Notebook - Static Electricity Static Electricity Electroscope Electricity and Magnetism Electricity and magnetism are vital to our modern world. Without them, we would still be warming ourselves with open fires and would not enjoy the many electrical and electronic devices we take for granted every day. Imagine a world without television, electric lights, computers, or air conditioning.

Yet without an understanding of electricity and magnetism, none of these inventions would have ever been possible. On the Electricity and Magnetism pages, we will follow in the footsteps of many scientists as we explore these two fascinating subjects. STATIC ELECTRICITY The first type of electricity to be discovered was static electricity. The discovery of static electricity was mankindï¿½s first step toward learning about electricity. Many years ago, it was found that certain objects were given an electric charge simply by rubbing them with certain other objects. These objects, when charged, would then attract other objects. This charge came to be known as ï¿½static electricityï¿½. This first series of experiments illustrate some of the properties of static electricity. They are best done on a cool dry day, but in summertime, they will often work in an air-conditioned room as well. Is It Brain Power Or Just a Magnetic Personality? Ever have a bad hair day? Try this, and the day wonï¿½t be a total loss! Materials Needed: Plastic comb; paper. Procedure: Tear off several bits of paper about the size of a pea or smaller and place them on a table or counter. Bring the comb near to the paper bits. What happens?

Next, run the comb through your hair several times and again bring the comb near the bits of paper. What happens now? What Happened: The first time you brought the comb near the paper bits, nothing happened, but when you combed your hair, you gave the comb a charge of static electricity Then, when you brought the comb near the paper bits, they were attracted to the comb because of this charge. Weï¿½ll see what caused the attraction a little later. Snap, Crackle, Pop - Lightening! You may have noticed a crackling sound when you pulled off a sweater on a cold day. This is another example of static electricity. It works best on a dry day in winter. Materials Needed: Sweater; dark room or closet; mirror. Procedure: Pull off your sweater in a dark room or closet while watching in the mirror. What Happened: If you heard crackling, and if the room or closet was dark enough, you should have seen tiny sparks! As you pulled off your sweater, very tiny particles called ï¿½electronsï¿½ moved in streams between your sweater and your body. You may have even felt your hair stand on end.

Each of these streams of electrons jumping between your body and the sweater were actually miniature sparks of lightening. Bigger Sparks Youï¿½ve probably done this experiment many times before without ever intending to! Materials Needed: A carpeted room on a dry day; a doorknob; yourself. Procedure: Walk across the carpeted floor. Touch a metal doorknob. What do you see, hear and feel? What Happened: You probably felt a nice little shock! As you walked across the carpet, you picked up loose electrons. When you brought your hand to the door, those extra electrons ï¿½jumpedï¿½ over to the metal doorknob and a spark was created. Going Further: Try this in a dark room, and you should have no trouble seeing the spark. Also, try touching another person after walking across the room, but be nice... let them know what youï¿½re going to do first! Another Example of Static Electricity At Work Materials Needed: Balloon; smooth wall. Procedure: Blow up the balloon and tie it off. Now rub it several times across your hair and then press it against the wall. What happens?

What Happened: The balloon received a charge of static electricity as it rubbed against your hair. This electric charge caused it to be attracted to the wall. Going Further: Leave the balloon in place for a while. How long will it stay there if left undisturbed? Static Electricity Outside of Your Body So far, we have seen static electric charges generated on your body. In this experiment, weï¿½ll look at one example of static electricity generated outside of your body. Materials Needed: Two books; glass from a picture frame; paper; piece of flannel or silk cloth. Procedure: Clean the glass with a good glass cleaner and allow it to dry thoroughly. Place the two books down side by side with a gap between them just a little less than the width of the glass. Tear several bits of paper about the size of a pea and place them between the books. Place the glass on the books so that it is centered over the paper bits. Now rub the cloth across the top of the glass. What happens? What Happened: As you rubbed the glass, it was charged by the cloth. The charged glass then attracted the paper bits, but as each of the paper bits touched the glass, they fell back.

This is because the paper had a weak charge that was opposite of the glass. Since opposite charges attract, the paper was drawn to the glass. However, when the paper touched the glass, its charge was neutralized. The paper was no longer was attracted to the glass, and so fell away. Investigating the Effect of Static Electricity on Water Materials Needed: Comb; faucet. Procedure: Just barely open a water faucet so that you get a very fine stream of water flowing. Then, run the comb through your hair several times. Slowly bring the comb near the stream of water. What do you see? What Happened: From previous experiments, you already know that the comb is charged with static electricity. When you bring the comb near the stream of water, you see it bend toward the comb. There is a slight charge on each of the water molecules that draws them toward the charged comb. Two Kinds of Charges Materials Needed: Meter or yard stick, or dowel, or other long stick; two chairs; two balloons; string; piece of glass from a picture frame; flannel or silk cloth. Procedure: Blow up the two balloons and tie each off with a length of string.

Place the stick across the two chairs and suspend the two balloons so that they hang freely about two inches apart. Rub each balloon across your head several times, and then allow the balloons to hang freely again. What happens? Next, rub the piece of glass with the cloth, and then bring the piece of glass between the two balloons. What happens now? What Happened: Rubbing the two balloons on your head gave each a negative charge. The two balloons then had like charges, and this caused them to repel each other. Like charges repel. When you rubbed the glass with the flannel or silk, you gave it a positive charge. When you put the glass between the balloons, the negatively charged balloons were attracted to the positively charged glass because unlike charges attract. Electroscope An electroscope is a device that will detect very small charges of static electricity. Materials Needed: ï¿½ liter (16-20 ounce) plastic or glass soft drink bottle with plastic screw cap; piece of insulated heavy gauge copper wire; aluminum foil; modeling clay; plastic comb. Procedure: Wash the bottle and remove the label. Allow the bottle to dry thoroughly. Using a sharp nail, punch a hole in the center of the plastic cap.

This hole should be just a little larger than the wire you are using. Cut a piece of wire just a little shorter than the bottle. Remove about 2 cm (ï¿½ inch) of insulation from one end and about 4 cm (1 in) from the other end. Using a pair of pliers, bend the end with 4 cm (1 in) stripped off into a squared ï¿½Jï¿½ shape as shown below. From underneath the cap, stick the straight portion of the wire through the hole in the cap so that about 4 cm (1 in) or so of insulated wire is above the cap. Place a small amount of modeling clay around the wire on top of the cap to hold it firmly in place. Next, cut a piece of aluminum foil about 15 cm (6 in) long and 1 cm (1/4 in) wide. (You should use thin foil rather than the thicker ï¿½heavy dutyï¿½ type.) Fold this strip in half and cut it in two at the fold. Punch a hole near one end of each piece of foil. Hang each piece of foil over the ï¿½Jï¿½ on the wire.

Make sure that the two halves of the foil are close together but that they do not quite touch. Insert the foil and wire into the bottle and screw on the cap. Now comb you hair several times with the comb. Bring the comb near the bare wire at the top. Watch the foil as you do. What happens? What To Look For: The foil halves should repel each other. What Happened: The comb was charged with a negative charge. This negative charge was created on the comb as it picked up extra electrons from your hair. When the comb was brought close to the copper wire, some of the electrons moved from the comb to the wire and from there down to the foil. When the electrons reached the foil, they spread out over both pieces of the foil. Since both sides of the foil then had a like charge (negative), the sides repelled each other. Going Further: Try charging a drinking glass with a flannel or silk cloth. What happens if you bring the glass near to the wire while the leaves of foil are spread out from the negative charge? Why? There's much more to learn about electricity. For more interesting experiments, visit the Current Electricity and Simple Circuits page.

"The Science Notebook" Copyright 2008-2016 - Norman Young Static Electricity Experiment: Sticking a Balloon to Things by Ron Kurtus - Succeed with Science Projects and Experiments: School for Champions Static Electricity Experiment: Causing a Balloon to Stick to Things by Ron Kurtus (revised 12 April 2013) Rubbing a balloon on a wool sweater can create a static electric charge, such that the balloon will stick to things. This opens the door for a number of experiments relating to balloons and static electricity. Questions you may have include: What is the purpose of the experiment? What research must be done? What is the experiment? This lesson will answer those questions. Purpose of experiment To determine what is the best configuration to effectively demonstrate the balloon sticking? Other questions you can answer through experiments are: Will the balloon stick to anything? What materials work the best? How long will the balloon stick to the wall? What would happen if you rubbed two balloons and tried to stick them together? Balloon sticking to wall Possible factors in the balloon sticking are: Humidity Materials to stick against (usually parts of the room) Clock or stopwatch (Note that static electricity experiments work the best on dry days.

If it is rainy or damp outside, it is possible that things will not work very well.) Experiment with sticking to different materials Rub a balloon some wool or your shirt. Then try to stick the balloon to different materials--like the wall, a door, the blackboard. Make a list of the materials and how well the balloon sticks. Draw some conclusions about the best and worst types of materials to stick to. Experiment on materials to rub on Rub a balloon with different materials to see which works best for sticking it to the wall. Make a list of materials and how well they work for creating static electricity. Draw some conclusions and try to explain the reasons. Experiment with length of time Use a clock to measure how long the balloon will stick to an object. Try this several days apart to see the effect that weather or humidity has on the length. Make a chart listing the time and the weather. Draw some conclusions. Tie two balloons to pieces of string. Rub each balloon with the same material to charge it. Hold the string and let the balloons get close. Do they attract or repel? Why? Explain the reasons for what happens. Summary There are a number of experiments you can do concerning static electricity effects on a balloon.

When you start something, stick to it Resources and references

Question: Rubbing a balloon on one's hair and then sticking it to a wall is an example of what type of electricity?
Answer: Static