Attraction & repulsion with static electricity
Suitable For
Grade 1
Difficulty
1
Time Required
<1 Hour
Supervision
Advised
What’s it about?
Did you ever think it would be possible to bend water? It might sound very unlikely, but in fact this can be done quite easily by using the science of static electricity.
Topics covered
Static electricity, Relative humidity
What will I need?
- COMB
- BITS OF PAPER
- TAP
Procedure (Method)
Did you ever think it would be possible to bend water? It might sound very unlikely, but in fact this can be done quite easily by using the science of static electricity.
- Take and comb and brush your hair briskly for a few moments to enable it to build up a static electrical charge.
- Open a bathroom tap slightly so that only a thin stream of water is running.
- Slowly move the ‘charged’ comb close to the stream of water and note how the stream of water bends to come closer to the comb.
- The ‘charged’ comb can also be used to ‘attract’ other small objects like little bits of paper that will jump up to the comb when it is brought near.
How does it work?
When the comb is rubbed against your hair, it is given an electric charge because of the friction. This ‘negative’ charge sets up an opposite, ‘positive’ electric charge in the water and the paper. The water is bent towards the comb and the paper jumps to the comb because the opposite charges ‘attract’ one another. This kind of charge is referred to as static electricity.
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