Name......

Making charges

Carry out each of the following activities. Before beginning predict what you expect will happen. Describe what happens and explain each situation in terms of charges and how they affect each other.

  1. Flying paper!

Rub a perspex rod or ruler with a piece of fabric. Hold the rod over small scraps of tissue paper.

Prediction
Observations / Explanation
  1. Bendy water

Rub a Perspex rod or ruler with a piece of fabric. Hold the rod near a very thin stream of water. Take care to ensure the rod and fabric remain dry.

Prediction
Observations / Explanation
  1. Attraction or repulsion?

Rub a perspex rod with a piece of fur.

Rub a glassrod with a piece of silk.

Place one rod on an upturned watch-glass and hold the other near to it. Does it attract or repel? Try repeating the process for two Perspex rods and then two glass rods.

Rod 1 / Rod 2 / Result
Perspex / Glass
Perspex / Perspex
Glass / Glass

What can you deduce from your results?

  1. Van de Graaf

Watch someone holding on to a Van de Graaf generator as it is turned on. Observe and explain

  1. Fun fly stick

A fun fly stick is like a mini Van de Graaf machine. Try out some of the following experiments:

a)-Try to make a mylar shape float between the end of the fun fly stick and your hand. You should be able to get it to bounce between the two. The fun fly stick is charging it and your had is discharging it.

- Try to get the shape to chase your hand without catching it. This

demonstrates that the shape has an electric field around it. As your hand enters

its field the shape is attracted to your hand.

b)Feel the electric wind: wipe the palm of your hand with a wet cloth and point the fun fly stick towards your palm. When you turn it on you should feel the coldness of moving ionized air particles producing an electric wind.

c)Try ‘gluing a sheet of A4 paper to the wall using the fun fly stick without touching the paper

d)Try some of the other activities set up on the bench:

- Levitation – may the force be with you

- Ion motor

- Power a lamp

- Flying saucers

- Electrostatic drummer

- Move a conductive cylinder

Select one of the activities you were amazed at and explain how it happened.