Static Snakes

Concept: Static Electricity
Static electricity is the buildup of an electrical charge on the surface of an object. The electricity is stationary and does not flow as a current. It is the result of an imbalance between negative and positive charges on an object.

Read Aloud: Science Rocks! by Ian Graham

Ingredients:

      ·         Tissue Paper
      ·         Cotton Towel
      ·         Foil Dish

      ·         Pen

 Demonstration:

      ·         Draw a snake on a sheet of tissue paper and then cut it out.

      ·         Place the snake on a foil dish and bend its head slightly upward.

      ·         Rub a pen vigorously over the surface of a cotton towel for about 45 seconds.

      ·         Hold the pen over the snake's head and slowly raise the pen up into the air.

Experiment:

·         Can you lift up the snake with any objects other than the pen?

·         Can you lift up any objects other than the snake with the pen?

Observations:
Items with different charges (positive and negative) will attract, while items with similar charges (positive and positive) will repel one another. Rubbing the pen on the towel produces friction and transfers a negative charge to the pen. The foil dish attracts the pen's negative charge. The snake is also attracted to the pen as the extra electrons on the pen try to flow towards the dish.