We will not study this topic until Spring as the book does not start Electricity & Magnetism for another five chapters. However, here in Virginia, it will be warm and humid in the Spring. Moisture in the air neutralizes static electricity so Winter is a great time to perform various demonstrations related to static electricity.
Static electricity happens when electrons are stripped off a material giving one item a positive charge (electrons stripped off) and the material a negative charge (picked up the electrons). This electroscope lab from Exploratorium works well--use Scotch tape or a premium brand. See the picture below. We were able to put a charge on the tape by applying it to the table then ripping off the tape. We were able to put a charge on the balloon by rubbing it against wool or a piece of rabbit fur. A sweatshirt does not work very well, too much cotton. We were able to demonstrate static electricity pushing and pulling an aluminum can across the floor.
Static electricity is discharged by touching something that will absorb the charge. You do this when you walk across a carpeted floor on a dry day then touch something metal. We put a charge on a balloon and touched the metal support beam in the basement. It was not dark enough to see the spark but it made a loud crack.
We will come back to this topic when the book gets to the topic of electricity. We have our notes and pictures to help us remember.
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