Sometimes, static electricity experiments work great. Other times, they seem to fizzle out. Here’s an experiment that will help you explore how your surroundings affect static charge.
Things Required:
Balloon
Bathroom
Directions:
Find a bathroom with a shower or bathtub. Make sure that no one has bathed in the room for several hours. The air in the room should be dry.
Inflate a balloon. Charge the balloon by rubbing it on your hair. What charge does the balloon acquire? Place it against the wall. Observe how it clings to the surface.
Turn on the water in the shower or bathtub. Let the room fill with humid air. Now try charging the balloon again. Place it against the wall. What happens this time?
This Is What Happens:
Electric charges cannot flow well through dry air. As the balloon was rubbed against the hair, charges moved onto the balloon. However, the dry air insulated the balloon and prevented the charges from “leaking” into the surrounding air.
Electric charges flow much better in humid air. When the air was humid, charges leaked from the balloon. Since the balloon lost its charge build-up, the clinging effect (if any) was not very great.
