An Electric Moment
Static Electricity Day is coming up on January 9. This holiday can help spark curiosity about an interesting aspect of physics. In this simple, hands-on activity, you can experiment with hair-raising electricity as you pick up a paper snowflake using just a balloon!
Materials Needed
Balloon
Scissors
Tissue Paper
Step-by-step instructions
Using your scissors, cut tissue paper into the shape of a circle.
Fold the circle-shaped tissue paper in half, then fold it in half two more times.
Cut a pattern of your choice into the sides of the folded-up tissue paper.
Unfold the tissue paper to reveal your snowflake design, then lay it on a flat surface.
Fill a balloon with air and tie it closed.
Rub the balloon on your head vigorously for 15 to 20 seconds.
Hold the balloon a few inches above your snowflake and slowly lower it until the snowflake begins to rise.
Experiment by moving the balloon up and down to make the snowflake move even more!
What We Discover
Every object is made up of atoms, and inside those atoms are protons, electrons, and neutrons. Protons are positively charged, electrons are negatively charged, and neutrons are neutral. Just like magnets, opposite charges attract each other, and like charges repel each other.
Static electricity occurs when there is an imbalance in the electric charges of an object, and they build up until they find a way to release.
When the balloon is rubbed on a head, negative electrons are transferred from the hair to the balloon. This makes the balloon have a negative charge on the surface so it can pick up light objects with a positive charge, such as the tissue paper snowflake.
—Credit to National Inventors Hall of Fame website (https://www.invent.org/blog/stem-activity/static-electricity-snowflake) Used with permission.