Runaway Cola Can
Purpose: This activity helps develop scientific inquiry skills and investigates the properties of static charge.
Materials
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balloon
2 cola cans (1 empty and 1 full)
science journal
Procedure
1. Blow up a balloon and rub the balloon on your head to build up a charge.
2. Place an empty cola can (aluminum) horizontally on a smooth surface (kitchen floor) and slowly bring
the charged balloon close to the can.
3. Observe what happens and record your observations in the science journal.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2 using a full can of cola.
5. Record in the science journal what happened this time and why?
6. Rub the balloon on your head again. Hold the balloon. Do not set it down.
7. With your other hand, pick up and rub the empty cola can on your head.
8. Place the empty cola can horizontally on the smooth surface and slowly bring the balloon near the can.
What happened? Record your observations in the science journal.
Conclusion
1. What causes the balloon and can to react the way they do?
2. Make a drawing of the scientific properties behind this investigation in the science journal using the
following terms: static, charge, positive (+), negative (-), attract, and repel.
Real-World Connection
You should be able to do the following based upon your new discoveries:
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Explain why plastic wrap sticks to food storage containers.
What causes clothes in the dryer to stick together when you take them out of the dryer? What effect does
liquid fabric softener or dyer sheets have on clothes dried in a dryer?
Plastic Static
Purpose: This activity helps develop scientific inquiry skills and investigates the properties of static charge.
Materials
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sheet of glass (snake tank)
plastic bag with zipper lock
plastic container
small pieces of paper (hole-punched paper bits or tissue paper)
Procedure
1. Predict what will happen as a result of rubbing a piece of plastic on the snake tank. Record your
prediction in a science journal.
2. Rub the side of the snake tank quickly with a piece of the plastic bag.
3. Place the plastic bag near small strips of paper, then explain why the paper behaved as it did.
4. Touch the plastic bag against the glass and observe what happens. Record your findings in the
science journal.
5. Rub the side of the plastic container with the plastic bag.
Conclusion
1. What causes the glass to become electrically charged when it is rubbed with the plastic bag?
2. Which item has the most electrostatic attraction? (The plastic bag, glass, or plastic container?
Rock and Roll!
Procedure:
3. Roll up a 15 cm piece of paper and tape it together.
4. Rub a comb through your hair and place the comb next to the paper roll.
5. Clean the comb when you are done.
Conclusion
1. What happened to the paper roll?
2. Why did that happen?
3. How was the charge created?
Water Bends?
Procedure:
1. Rub a comb quickly through your hair.
2. Turn the water on (or pour a small stream out of a bottle and into a container) so it flows as a
thin steady stream.
Conclusion
1. What happened to the water stream?
2. Why did that happen?
3. How was the charge created?
Static Balloons
Procedure:
1. Rub two blown up balloons on your hair.
2. Touch the balloon to the wall.
3. Repeat step one and hold the balloon next to a pile of sugar.
Conclusion:
1. What happened to the balloon when you stuck it to the wall?
2. What happened to the sugar when it was near the balloon?
3. What particles are responsible for making your hair stick up?
Dancing Fools
Procedure:
1. Cut out a figure of a person from computer paper.
2. Rub two blown up balloons on your hair.
3. Repeat step one and hold the balloon next to your paper cutouts.
Conclusion:
1. What did the people do near the balloon?
2. Explain how this happened?
Suspended Rods
Procedures:
1. Hang the plastic rod on a string by tying a string to the ceiling and taping the string to both
ends.
2. Charge the hanging rod by rubbing the silk on the rod.
3. Charge another rod and place it near the hanging rod without touching them together.
4. Place the silk near the hanging rod without touching it to the rod.
Conclusion
1. What happened when the rods got near one another? Why?
2. What happened when the silk got near the rod? Why
Wall Flower
Procedures:
1. Blow up a balloon, rub it on your head, and place it against the wall?
Conclusion
1. What happened? Explain in terms of charge and polarization.
Salt and Pepper Separation
Procedures
1. Mix salt and pepper on your lab table.
2. Charge a rod by rubbing it with silk.
3. Hold the charged rod one cm above the surface of the mixture.
Conclusion
1. What happened? How could you explain this?
Applications to Everyday Life
Electrically Conductive Truck Tires: Tire companies make tires that conduct electricity. These tires “drain”
electrostatic charges from trucks that cumulate from the friction of air resistance. These tires reduce the chance
of sparks hitting flammable cargo.
Air Purification: Industries release air pollution into the air we breathe. The find dust that they emit can be
taken out by passing exhaust through charged plates that attract charged smoke particles. Some air purification
systems in homes do this to remove such things as allergens, pollen, dust, and smoke.
Lightning Safety: You are pretty safe from lightning inside of cars and airplanes because electrostatic charges
only exist on the outside of conductors.
Photocopiers: Copy machines expose a photoconductive selenium drum to a corona discharge and then to a
document. The electrostatic image of the original document is made on the drum, which attracts toner. The
toner is transferred from the drum to the paper by contact and attached to the paper with heat.
Applications taken from Hands-On Physics Activities By James Cunningham and Norman Herr.
Conclusion:
Pick one demo and write a paragraph conclusion that explains what happened from start to finish. Use
appropriate vocabulary from the unit and diagrams. Be sure that at least one of your diagrams includes electric
field lines!