BOLT FROM THE BALLOON
You Gotta Try This!
Cobb and Darling
Morrow Junior
Books, 1999
Light a fluorescent light bulb with a balloon.
THE SETUP
How many balloons does it take to light a fluorescent light bulb? This isn’t a joke! You
can light a bulb with a balloon and it only takes one.
You will need:
• Safety glasses
• A fluorescent light bulb
• An inflated balloon
• A piece of wool or fur
Bring your equipment and your assistant into a darkened room. Have the assistant hold
the light bulb. Give the balloon a static electric charge by rubbing it repeatedly with a
piece of wool or fur.
(The length of time you need to rub will vary depending on how humid the air is.) A
charged balloon will make the hair on your arms stand on end.)
Touch the charged balloon to the prongs at the end of the bulb. Flashes of light will
briefly pulse up and down the tube. This may not work if the humidity is high. If you’re
unsuccessful, try again on a dry day.
INSIDER INFORMATION
Surprise! It doesn’t take much energy to light a fluorescent bulb.
That’s why they’re so cheap to run and are part of the green,
energy-saving movement.
A fluorescent light is a hollow glass tube painted on the inside with a
fluorescent material.
You Gotta Try This!
Cobb and Darling
Morrow Junior
Books, 1999
Some of the air has been pumped out of the tube and replaced
with mercury vapor. When the light is turned on, electricity flows
from one end of the tube to the other. The electrons strike the
mercury atoms, which become briefly excited. When the mercury
atoms return to their unexcited state, they release the extra energy
as ultraviolet light. The UV light hits the fluorescent paint, where it
is converted into visible light.
When you rub a balloon, you give it a negative charge, which
contains an excess of electrons. These electrons jump to the
metal end of the bulb when you bring the balloon close. This is
enough energy to produce a brief flash of fluorescent light