Phet Balloons Simulation:

https://phet.colorado.edu/sims/html/balloons-and-static-electricity/latest/balloons-and-static-e
lectricity_en.html

Instructions:

Watch the attached video(s) on static electricity (after you have watched the previous videos,
of course).

Check “Show all Charges.” Nothing else should be checked. Don’t do anything else.

1. What is the net charge on the sweater? Why?

The sweater has no charge since it has an equal amount of electron and proton. It is
neutral.

2. What is the net charge on the balloon? Why?

The balloon has no charge since it has an equal amount of electron and proton. It is
neutral.

Rub the balloon on only one sleeve of the sweater.

3. What overall charge does the balloon now have? What is its net charge?
The overall charge that the balloon has is negative. By rubbing the balloon against the
sleeve of the sweater, the electrons in the sweater transfers to the balloon, thus, shifting it
from neutrally charged to negatively charged.

4. What overall charge does the sweater now have? What is its net charge?
The overall charge of the sweater is now positive. As the balloon rubbed against the
sleeve, negative charges passed to the balloon. As a result, the sweater has less
electrons, disrupting the neutrality of the charge.

5. Does the balloon or sweater have more net charge (magnitude only) on it? Why?
Both of them have the same magnitude of net charge, though opposite in the type of
charge. Since there are 10 protons and 10 electrons in the sleeve of the sweater, all the
electrons transfer to the balloon, leaving the protons behind. The balloon and the sweater
have neutral overall charge beforehand, indicating that the net charge is 0. However,
when the balloon was rubbed against the sleeve, 10 charges transferred over to the
balloon, leaving 10 charges behind in the sweater. Now their magnitude of net charge is
10.

6. What happens when you place the balloon in the middle of the wall and the sweater and
let it go? Why?
When I placed the balloon in between the wall and the sweater and let it go, the balloon
floated toward the sweater. As the saying goes, “opposites attract”. With the sweater being
positively charged, the balloon being negatively charged, the wall being neutrally charged,
 the balloon naturally gravitated toward the sweater.

Click on the “two balloons” option. And rub the green balloon to the entire sweater.

7. Which balloon has a greater net charge? Why?

The green balloon has a greater net charge. Since the green balloon rubbed with the
entire sweater, all of the electrons transfer over to the green balloon. As a result, the green
balloon is negatively charged. The yellow balloon is neutrally charged, suggesting that the
net charge of the balloon is 0.

Click on the “two balloons” option. And rub the green balloon to the entire sweater.

8. Bring the green balloon close to the wall and let it go. Draw the charge distribution of the
wall and the green balloon (Insert/Drawing/New in this G-doc).

9. What is your observation about the positive charges?

The positive charge did not move at all. They remain where they are even when the
electrons move away from the negatively charged balloon.

10. If they are not moving, is it possible to get an object positively charged? How?
You can get an object positively charged by removing some of its electrons. Even the
transfer of an electron can make the object positively charged. In this case, it is the
sweater. When the balloon rubbed against the fabric, the electrons transfer onto the
balloon. Thus, leaving the sweater positively charged.

11. I understand why balloons repel one another - they are both charged but with the same
charge. The wall is neutral (you haven’t charged it), why would they stick to it? Explain.
Even though the wall is neutrally charged it is still more positive than the negatively
charged balloon. The abundances of electrons cling to the surface of the balloon, seeking
a surface with more protons to be released. Since the balloon is negatively charged, the
neutrally charged wall is better than another negatively charged balloon. Thus, the balloon
sticks to the wall while the electrons inside the wall move away from the balloon.