Static Electricity
INTRODUCTION
Materials:
 a balloon
 head of hair!
Demonstration:
1. Rub balloon on head of hair quickly, back and forth.
2. Lift hair with balloon to show that the hair sticks to the balloon.
Explanation:
Static electricity is an attraction between electric charges. What does this mean? Everything in
the world is made up of tiny little particles known as molecules. These molecules are made of tinier
particles called atoms. Atoms are made up of even tinier particles – these particles are known as
protons, neutrons, and electrons. Your hair has a lot of these tiny particles, particularly electrons, which
stick to the surface of the balloon.
(Hold up two magnets.) We all know that positives and negatives attract! Let’s say this magnet
has a positive charge, while this one has a negative charge – look, the two magnets stick together! The
same way, electrons have a negative charge; when they stick to the balloon, the balloon then has a
negative charge. Your hair has a positive charge – more protons than the balloon does – so the
opposites attract! The negative balloon and the positive hair are attracted to each other.
ROLL A CAN WITH STATIC ELECTRICITY
Materials:
 empty soda can
 blown-up balloon
 head of hair!
Demonstration:
1. Place can on smooth surface.
2. Rub the balloon on hair quickly, back and forth.
3. Hold the balloon near the can, without touching the can. The can will begin to roll by itself!
Experiment:
Have the students do the experiment on their own. Then, ask the students:
1. Does the size of the balloon change the power of the pull?
2. If you crush the soda can, will it still move?
Explanation:
Remember, the balloon has a negative charge – more electrons – since it rubbed the hair. On
the other hand, the can has a more positive charge (more protons, less electrons) than the balloon,
since it didn’t rub against anything else. What do positives and negatives do? They attract! So the
balloon’s negative charge – the balloon’s electrons – attract the can’s positive charge – the can’s
protons! Just like we could move the hair, we can move this can!
Adapted from: https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/
MAKE A STATIC POWERED DANCING GHOST
Materials:
 some tissue paper
 a balloon
 scissors
 head of hair!
Experiment:
(Have the students do this one on their own!)
1. Make sure the tissue paper is as thin as it can be.
2. Cut the tissue out into the shape of a ghost. Tape the very bottom of the ghost to the table.
3. Rub the balloon against the hair, quickly, back and forth.
4. Hover the balloon over the tissue, but don’t touch! The tissue should begin to move around, or
‘dance.’
Explanation:
Remember, your hair has electrons. When you rub the balloon, the balloon has electrons,
causing the balloon to have a negative charge. Opposites – positive and negative – attract! The tissue
ghost has a positive charge (more protons than the balloon), so the balloon can attract the ghost,
making our little ghost dance!
SUMMARY
Goal: Students must be able to explain why each object had a charge, after this demonstration.
Materials:
 red paper clips
 blue paper clips
 two magnets labeled ‘A’ and ‘B’
Demonstration:
1. Deem the red paper clips ‘electrons’ – mention that they are ‘negative.’
2. Deem the blue paper clips ‘protons’ – mention that they are ‘positive.’
3. Have magnet A pick up two red paper clips, or electrons. Then have magnet A pick up the same
amount of blue clips, or protons. Say that magnet A has no charge – there are the same number
of protons as there are electrons.
4. Have magnet A pick up two more ‘electrons.’ Now ask what charge magnet A has – students
should say that magnet A has a negative charge.
5. Move on to magnet B. Repeat step 3 with magnet B. Then, have magnet B pick up three more
‘protons.’ Now ask what charge magnet B has – students should say that magnet B has a
positive charge.
6. Now move magnet A and magnet B closer to each other. Say that the two are opposites –
magnet A has a negative charge, because it has more electrons, but magnet B has a positive
charge, because it has more protons. The two attract!
Explanation:
Based on this demonstration, what can we say about today’s experiments? In the introduction,
the hair had a positive charge, because it had more protons, but the balloon had a negative charge,
because it had more electrons. These opposites attracted. In the can experiment… Continue to discuss.
Adapted from: https://sciencebob.com/category/experiments/