Have you wrapped your mind around static electricity yet? You should understand by now how scuffing along a carpet in socks builds up electrons, which eventually jump off in a flurry known as a spark. And you also probably know a bit about magnets and how magnets have north and south poles AND a magnetic field (more on this later). Did you also know that electrical charges have an electrical field, just like magnets do?
It’s easy to visualize a magnetic field, because you’ve seen the iron filings line up from pole to pole. But did you know that you can do a similar experiment with electric fields?
Here’s what you need:
- dried dill (spice)
- vegetable or mineral oil
- 2 alligator wires
- static electricity source (watch video first!)
Two ideas: first, if it’s humid where you live, this experiment isn’t going to work because the moisture in the air will discharge the electrical charge up on the balloon more quickly than you can build it up. Second, what happens when you bring your charged balloon near a thin trickle of water like from the sink? (Make it a really THIN thread of water). Does it wiggle and flicker? If so, then you’re doing the experiment right, but it may not be enough to move the dill in around.
This is not working for us. We have tried several times and really aren’t seeing any movement. We have tried using olive oil and peanut oil, we have have “cleaned” our balloon, used only dill and still nothing. What should we do?