Introduction
Most people know the simple static electricity experiment where you rub a balloon against your clothes and then hold it near small pieces of paper or tissue. The pieces of paper are attracted to the balloon and may even jump up and stick to it, almost as if by magic!
This happens because of static electricity. Rubbing the balloon against your clothes causes electric charges to build up on the surface of the balloon. When the charged balloon is brought close to the pieces of paper, it attracts them.
But there is a much cooler way to demonstrate static electricity – with a spooky Halloween twist! In this experiment, you can make little paper ghosts float towards a balloon. 👻
What you need
- A balloon
- Scissors
- Glue
- Kitchen roll or tissue paper
- Drawing paper, either coloured or plain white
- Felt-tip pens
What to do
- Cut two or three ghost shapes out of kitchen roll or tissue paper.
- Use felt-tip pens to draw spooky faces on your ghosts.
- Put two or three thin lines of glue on the drawing paper. (You need as many lines of glue as you have ghosts.)
- Glue only the bottom part of each ghost to the paper. The main body of the ghost should not be glued down, so that it can move freely.
- Blow up the balloon and tie it.
- Rub the balloon against your clothes for about 10–20 seconds.
- Hold the balloon a short distance above the head of one of the ghosts.
- Watch carefully. The ghost should rise towards the balloon, as if it is floating!
- Try moving the balloon slowly from side to side. Can you make the ghost follow it?
Important: Keep the balloon a short distance away from the ghost. The experiment will not work as well if you touch the ghost directly on the drawing paper with the balloon.
What is happening?
When you rub the balloon against your clothes, electrons move from one material to another. This gives the balloon a static electric charge.
When you bring the charged balloon close to the paper ghost, the electric charge in the ghost is rearranged slightly. The part of the ghost closest to the balloon becomes more strongly attracted to it. This attractive electric force can be strong enough to lift the lightweight tissue paper off the drawing paper.
The ghost is not really flying – it is being pulled upwards by an electrostatic force.
Try rubbing the balloon for different lengths of time and holding it at different distances from the ghost. What conditions make your ghost rise the highest?
