Static Electricity Bend Running Water Science Fair Project

 Over View 

This Static electricity bend running water is an easy and fun science experiment that aims to help kids learn about static electricity, revealing the basic static electricity fact to kids.

Age: 3+      Est. Time: 10mins

 Safety 

1. Adult supervision.
2. Remember to turn off the water after the experiment.

 Materials List 

• PVC pipe
• Balloon
• Cotton crochet thread

 Instruction 

Step 1/4 - Rub the balloon against your clothes for a while.

Step 2/4 - Hold the balloon close to the running water stream, and the water stream bends towards the balloon.

Step 3/4 - Rub the PVC pipe against the cotton crochet thread ball.

Step 4/4 - Hold the PVC stick close to the running water stream, and the water flow will also bend towards the pipe.

 Troubleshooting 

Why the water stream does not bend?
- The thinner the water stream, the easier it will bend. Increase the rubbing time. The effect of this experiment will be obvious in winter.

 Question to Ask 

1. Why in winter when you take off your sweater, there will be some sudden shining light?
2. Why does the water flow bend towards the balloons and PVC pipes, instead of away from them?

 Scientific Description 

When you rub the balloon against your clothes, the tiny parts of the atoms in your clothes, called ELECTRONS, collected on the balloon. These electrons have a NEGATIVE charge. Now, the balloon has a negative charge, it is attracted to things that have a POSITIVE charge or things without charge (neutral). When you take the negatively charged balloon, the water with a positive charge is attracted to the balloon. When you rub the PVC pipe against the tiny parts of the ELECTRONS collected on the pipe so that the PVC pipe is negatively charged and it will attract to things that have a positive charge. The water is with positive charges so it wants to be close with negative charge. That is why the water is bend. In winter, when you take off your sweater there will be some sudden shining light. That is also caused by static electricity.

 Extensions 

1. The balloon and the pipe can also attract so many little stuff, like the confetti, a lying soda can and so on. 
2. Try to demonstrate the static electricity by using a homemade electroscope.