Explore the power of static electricity with these fun hands-on experiments.
Have you ever gotten a “shock” while walking or running in your socks or watched someone’s hair fly up in the air when it’s rubbed against a balloon? If you have you’ve seen static electricity in action! The rubbing between those two objects (eg. socks & floor or hair & balloon) causes some of the electrons in an atom to break away. But atoms like to be balanced. So if an electron is floating free in the world what will it work to do? Find a proton to ATTRACT to!
Want to duplicate this experiment at home or in your classroom? Watch the video for an overview, gather the materials listed at the right, and follow the instructions below!