Static Electricity

1 Science

Name Reza Nadaf Per

Perform a variety of tests with your balloon

1. Charge your balloon with a variety of materials (try one
at a time): nylon, wool sweater square, your hair,
material of your choice.
2. After each charging bring your balloon near a variety of
materials (one at a time): paper, torn tissue, thread,
running water, aluminum foil, yeast, materials of your
choice.
3. Record your observations
4.
Wool
Nylon
Human Hair
Paper
Strongly
Attracts
Weakly
attracts
attracts
Tissue

Attracts

Weakly
Attracts

Weakly
attracts

Water

Weakly
Attracts

Weakly
Attracts

Nothing

Attracts

Weakly
Attracts

Weakly
Attracts

Strongly
Attracts

Attracts

Aluminu
m
Yeast

Strongly
Attracts

5. Charge two balloons hanging 3-5 cm apart. Observe:

When the balloons are charged with wool they will repel
each other.
6. Place your hand vertically between them. Observe:
When my hand is placed between the two charged
balloons, the balloons are attracted to my hand.
7. Place a plastic ruler between them. Observe
We did not do this in class.
8. Draw conclusions from your observations
According to my observations and data, wool will give off a
charge the most; nylon will give off a charge weaker than
wool, and human hair will give off a charge weaker than
nylon. This directly clashes with http://www.regentsprep.org/
, which states that human hair will give off a charge the
most, nylon will give off a charge weaker than hair, and wool
will give off a charge weaker than nylon. My discrepancy
could be due to the rubbing time of each substance, the age
of the substance, or corrupted substances.
7. Insert research about the charging qualities of wool,
silk and nylon.
The Charging qualities of wool, silk and nylon vary. According
to http://www.regentsprep.org/ , human hair will give off a
charge the most, nylon will give off a charge weaker than
hair, and wool will give off a charge weaker than nylon.