“Never use an electric appliance while you are in the bathtub!”
Although it is not a great conductor of electricity, water can easily conduct the current that flows from the power outlet of your home. The results are often deadly.
What about static electricity? Can water interact with non-moving charges?
Things Required:
Plastic comb
Pencil
Plastic pen
A piece of wool
Sink
Directions:
Turn on a water faucet. Adjust the flow to a slow but steady stream. Pass the plastic comb through your hair several times. Slowly, bring the comb close to the water. What happens?
Stroke a plastic pen with a piece of wool material. Now bring the pen towards the water. What happens?
Repeat this activity using a pencil. Does the pencil produce the same effect as the pen? Why?
This Is What Happens:
Plastic is a good material for storing electric charges. As the comb travelled through your hair, it picked up a negative charge. When it was brought close to the running water, it induced a positive charge in the closest part of the flow. The positive water and the negative comb attracted and produced a bend in the flow.
As you might have guessed, wool is a poor storage material for an electric charge. It did not keep enough charge to affect the water stream.
