Static Electricity Computer Simulations
Pre-Lab Questions:
1)What is static electricity and how is it created?
2)What types of things generate positive charges and what things generate a negative charge?
3)Name three real world examples of static electricity and explain how they are each generated.
Computer Simulations:
John Travoltage
1)Open the “John Travoltage” application at
2)Move John’s foot back and forth four times, then move his hand to the door knob. Observe how long the discharge lasts.
3)Experiment with the position of his hand and the number of times his foot is moved.
Questions:
1)Was there ever a static discharge without moving the hand to the door knob? Describe the conditions when this happened.
2)What conditions were necessary so that there never was a discharge, no matter how much the foot is moved?
3)What was the relationship between the number of times the foot is moved and the length of time of the static discharge? Why?
Balloons and Static Electricity
1)Open the “Balloons and Static Electricity” application at
2)Click on “show no charges.”
3)Rub the yellow balloon on the sweater once and leave it on the sweater. What happens?
4)Move the balloon so the string is straight up and down. What happens to the balloon?
5)Move the balloon close to the wall. What happens to the balloon?
6)Rub the balloon on the sweater another four times, then move it so the string is straight up and down. What happens to the balloon?
7)Move the balloon next to the wall. What happens to the balloon?
8)How close can you move the balloon to the wall and still have it go to the sweater?
9)Rub the balloon over all parts of the sweater, like it is an eraser being used to erase all the color on the sweater. Then move the balloon so the string is straight up and down. What happens to the balloon?
10)Can you move the balloon closer to the wall and still have it go to the sweater, or does it now have to be farther from the wall?
11)Click on “reset all” and “two balloons.”
12)Rub the yellow balloon on the sweater once, then put it in the middle of the room.
13)Rub the blue balloon on the sweater twice, then put it in the middle of the room.
14)Grab the yellow balloon and put it between the blue balloon and the sweater. What happens to the blue balloon?
15)Can you move the blue balloon around the room using the yellow? Why?
Questions:
1)Happens to the charge of the sweater and the balloon when the balloon is rubbed in the sweater? Why?
2)Why does the balloon travel to the sweater faster the more the balloon is rubbed on the sweater?
3)What happens to the wall to make the balloon stick to it?
4)Since you can use one balloon to push the other balloon around the room, what does that tell you about the charges of the two balloons?
Vocabulary:
Friction
Induction
Static Charge