Static Electricity

Lab Brief #6

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Energy never disappears — it just hides somewhere else.

What you'll learn

Rubbing two insulators transfers electrons, leaving one negative and the other positive. Like charges repel and unlike attract. A charged object attracts neutral ones by induction, which is how a rubbed balloon sticks to a wall.

Key words

electrostatic charge
An imbalance of electric charge on the surface of an object.
induction
The redistribution of charge in a neutral object caused by a nearby charged one.

Make a hypothesis first

Before you start: which will move faster, and why?

Say your guess out loud — then find out if you were right.

Get ready

🧰 What you need

balloons
woollen cloth
tap

⚠️ Safety first

Do not do this near a gas appliance or flammable vapour.
Keep balloon fragments away from small children.

Step 1 of 4 · Read

Think about what you just learned: say what "electrostatic charge" and "induction" mean in your own words before you start.

Step 2 of 4 · Do

Rub a balloon on wool and test it against a wall, a thin stream of tap water, and a second charged balloon. Record attract or repel for each and explain the water result using induction rather than net charge.

Step 3 of 4 · Observe

Record what actually happened, including anything that did not match what you expected.

Step 4 of 4 · Record

Write a conclusion that answers the question this lesson opened with, and state your uncertainty.

Question 1 of 2

Rubbing a balloon on hair transfers:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Question 2 of 2

A charged balloon attracts a thin stream of water because of:

How sure are you?😐 maybe

Mind = blown

⚡ Static electricity is the same physics as lightning, just smaller.

Nice work!

You got 0 of 2 right.

Next: Circuit Safety: Fuses, Earthing and the Ring Main All lessons

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✨ More to explore

🌍 Where you see this in real life: You use this every time you flip a light switch, ride a bike, or kick a ball.

🏆 Stretch challenge (try it this week): Time how long a small ball rolls down something, then change the slope and try again.

👨‍👩‍👧 For the dinner table: “Show me something at home that uses this kind of energy.”

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