| Teacher Supplies home >
Teacher Supplies Info Center > Science Experiments
Science Experiments
Click
here to see our selection of Science Experiments.
 Here
are a couple of examples of science experiments you can do to help
your students understand electricity and static electricity:
• First science experiment: swinging cereal
You will need a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon, thread,
small pieces of dry cereal in O-shapes, or puffed rice or wheat.
The piece of the cereal is tied to one end of a piece of thread
measured out to exactly twelve inches. Attach the other end somewhere,
so that the cereal does not hang too close to anything else. For
example: tape the thread to the edge of a table or counter. Then
you will have the students wash the combs so they are not oily at
all—and be sure to dry them well. Then vigorously rub the
comb or balloon on something made of wool. (like a sweater or lambs
wool from a dance supply store). –You can achieve the same
effect by running the comb through long hair several times. Now
slowly bring the comb or balloon near the cereal. The cereal will
swing towards the comb. Ask the students to hold the comb still
until the cereal jumps away by itself. Then, have the students try
to touch the comb or balloon to the cereal again. The cereal will
move away from the comb or balloon.
What happened:
Rubbing the comb or balloon on the wool moved electrons to your
comb or balloon and gave it a negative charge. The neutral cereal
was attracted to it, but when they touched, the electrons slowly
moved from the comb to the cereal. Now both the balloon or comb
and the cereal had the same negative charge, and the cereal was
repelled instead of drawn to the cereal.
• Second science experiment: Bending water
You will need a hard rubber or plastic comb, or a balloon, and
a sink and water faucet.
Turn on the water faucet so the water is running out in a small,
steady stream, about on eighth of an inch thick (approximately).
Charge the comb or balloon by running it through long, dry hair
several times or rub it vigorously on a sweater or any other kind
of wool—just like you did in the first science experiment.
Then bring the comb or balloon near the water and the water will
actually "bend" toward the comb or balloon.
What happened:
The neutral water was attracted to the charged comb. Because of
the negative charge in the balloon or comb, the water moved towards
it.
Discuss teaching ideas, lesson plans, classroom
strategies
and more on our teacher
message board!
|
