static electricity experiment 1

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  • 8/7/2019 Static Electricity Experiment 1

    1/1

    STATIC ELECTRICITY EXPERIMENT: BENDING WATER

    What you will need for this experiment:

    A plastic comb or a balloonA faucet/running water.

    What you will do:

    Step 1: Turn the faucet on low so that the water runs out in a very small stream.

    Step 2: Run the comb through long, dry hair several times or rub it several times on a

    sweater. If you are using a balloon, inflate it and rub it vigorously against hair or a

    sweater.

    Step 3: Slowly put the comb or balloon near the stream of water and watch the water

    bend.

    Whyd that happen?

    When you comb your hair, or rub a balloon against it, you moved electrons. These

    electrons moved from your hair to the comb, or from your hair to the balloon.

    The same thing happens when you rub the comb or balloon against a sweater. You are

    moving electrons from the sweater to the comb or balloon.

    The comb or balloon had a negative static charge, and the neutral water was attracted to

    the charged comb or balloon. When the water was attracted to it, it seemed to bend in the

    direction of the charged comb or balloon.

    Tip #1: This experiment works best during days without too much humidity; the drier the

    better.

    Tip #2: Try to use the part of the charged object that has the biggest charge (the part that

    was rubbed the most) when doing these experiments. Also, Projects 1-3 work best on dry

    days.