Happy New Year! Today, we are presenting two experiments that introduce the concept of static electricity. Both of these experiments are suitable for toddlers or quite small children!
The first experiment is brought to you by Dr Lahiru Gangoda, and is a very quick and simple experiment that just requires a comb, some paper, and your own hair! If you are in the mood for some quick and easy science, this is the one for you!
Dr Lahiru Gangoda is a cancer researcher and a member of Team WEHI. Her research is on finding better ways to treat skin cancer. Don’t forget wear your sun screen! You can read more about Lahiru here.
The second version of this experiment is brought to you by Dr Charis Teh and her daughter Talya, and takes a little bit longer, because it combines science with art to make a beautiful fluttering butterfly! So if you have a bit more time and are in the mood for a bit of craft project, maybe give this one a go.
Dr Charis Teh is a cancer researcher. Her research aims to identify the ‘kill switch’ that triggers cell suicide in cancers. She has been relaying with Team WEHI since 2018. In her free time, she is often found dancing to “Let It Go” with her three-year old daughter, Talya. She hopes to inspire many young girls, like her daughter, to pursue STEAM disciplines and change the world. Here, she shares one of the many little craft/experiments that she does with Talya in the weekends.
Experiment 1
You will need:
- A plastic comb
- Small pieces of paper
Step 1
Bring the comb near the pieces of paper. What happens when you do this? (Hint: Probably not very much!)
Did you know that in science, the first step is often to stop and observe what happens when you don’t do anything at all? This is because when you do an experiment, you want to see whether what you have done has changed anything… and you can’t do that unless you know what was happening before you started…
Step 2
Run the comb through your hair several times.
Step 3
Bring the comb near the pieces of paper again. What happens this time?
Let’s find out….
Now that you’ve seen static electricity in action, let’s apply it to something a little bit bigger!
Experiment 2
You will need:
- Cardboard (A4) for base
- Hard card for butterfly body
- Tissue paper for butterfly wings
- A balloon
- Scissors
- Glue
- Butterfly pattern (I got mine from https://www.momjunction.com/articles/butterfly-coloring-pages_00102637/)
Step 1
Trace out the butterfly wings on tissue paper
Step 2
Cut out the butterfly wings (tissue paper) and the body (hard card)
Step 3
Get creative! Decorate the butterfly wings.
Step 4
Position the wings and body on the cardboard base, with the body over the wings.
Step 5
Glue only the body (not the wings!) onto the cardboard – you can have a line of glue up the very centre of the wings, but you want to leave the wings lots of space for fluttering! The head and tail of the body will help hold the butterfly in place.
Step 6
Rub a balloon a balloon in your hair to generate static electricity. Once the balloon is charged, move it close to the butterfly wings and watch the wings start to flutter.
Step 7
Have lots of fun with it.
What can we learn:
The atom is the basic building block for all matter in the universe. Atoms are extremely small and are made up of a few even smaller particles. The basic particles that make up an atom are electrons (negative charge), protons (positive charge), and neutrons (no charge).
Quite simply, most objects have equal amounts of protons and electrons, giving them an overall neutral charge. At the start of the experiment, the balloon and comb are both electrically neutral, which is why they have no effect on the paper.
When we rub objects together, we create an imbalance of charge. One object becomes negatively charged and one becomes positively charged. This is called static electricity.
In this experiment, when we ran the comb through our hair, or rubbed our hair with the balloon, the balloon and the comb became electrically charged. This charged comb or balloon exerts an electric force on the tiny pieces of paper or tissue paper and attracts them, causing the little pieces of paper to fly up and stick to the comb, and the butterfly wings to flutter.
Team WEHI Relay for Life 