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Easy science experiments

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Kids are natural scientists. They are naturally curious about what the cause and effect of things is. Here is an easy science experiment to explore with young students:

Easy Science experiments with Static Electricity.

SAFETY NOTE: Please read all instructions completely before starting. Observe all safety precautions.

Tip: Try to use the part of the charged object that has the biggest charge (the part that was rubbed the most) when doing these experiments. Also, Projects 1-3 work best on dry days.

Easy Science Experiments-- Swinging cereal

What you need:

• a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon

 

• thread, small pieces of dry cereal (O-shapes, or puffed rice of wheat)

What to do:

• Tie a piece of the cereal to one end of a 12 inch piece of thread. Find a place to attach the other end so that the cereal does not hang close to anything else. (You can tape the thread to the edge of a table but check with your parents first.)

 

• Wash the comb to remove any oils and dry it well.

 

• Charge the comb by running it through long, dry hair several times, or vigorously rub the comb on a wool sweater.

• Slowly bring the comb near the cereal. It will swing to touch the comb. Hold it still until the cereal jumps away by itself.

 

• Now try to touch the comb to the cereal again. It will move away as the comb approaches.

 

   6. This project can also be done by substituting a balloon for the comb.

What Happened in this easy science experiment: Combing your hair moved electrons from your hair to the comb. The comb had a negative charge. The neutral cereal was attracted to it. When they touched, electrons slowly moved from the comb to the cereal. Now both objects had the same negative charge, and the cereal was repelled.

 

Easy Science Experiments - Bending water

What you need:

• a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon

 

• a sink and water faucet.

What to do:

• Turn on the faucet so that the water runs out in a small, steady stream, about 1/8 inch thick.

 

• Charge the comb by running it through long, dry hair several times or rub it vigorously on a sweater.

 

• Slowly bring the comb near the water and watch the water "bend."

   4. This project can also be done with a balloon.

What Happened in this easy science experiment: The neutral water was attracted to the charged comb, and moved towards it.

 

Easy Science Experiments - Light a light bulb with a balloon

You Need:

• hard rubber comb or balloon

 

• a dark room

• fluorescent light bulb (not an incandescent bulb)

 

SAFETY NOTE: DO NOT USE ELECTRICITY FROM A WALL OUTLET FOR THIS EXPERIMENT. Handle the glass light bulb with care to avoid breakage. The bulb can be wrapped in sticky, transparent tape to reduce the chance of injury if it does break.

What to do:

• Take the light bulb and comb into the dark room.

 

• Charge the comb on your hair or sweater. Make sure to build up a lot of charge for this experiment.

 

   3. Touch the charged part of the comb to the light bulb and watch very carefully. You should be able to see small sparks. Experiment with touching different parts of the bulb.

What Happened in this easy science experiment: When the charged comb touched the bulb, electrons moved from it to the bulb, causing the small sparks of light inside. In normal operation, the electrons to light the bulb come from the electrical power lines through a wire in the end of the tube. (Fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs will be discussed in a future issue.)

 

Easy Science Experiments - Static in the Summer

What you need:

• a balloon, and a watch or clock

 

What you do:

• Rub the balloon on your hair or sweater. Stick it to a wall and time how long it stays before falling down.

 

   2. Repeat step (1) in the bathroom, just after someone has taken a hot, steamy shower.

What Happened in this easy science experiment: In the bathroom, water in the air and on the walls helped move electrons away from the balloon more quickly. In the summer, the air is more humid, and static electricity does not build up as much as during the winter, when the air is very dry.

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