If you have a Fun Fly Stick, then pull it out and watch the video below. If not, don’t worry – you can do most of these experiments with a charged balloon (one that you’ve rubbed on your hair). Let’ play with a more static electricity experiments, including making things move, roll, spin, chime, light up, wiggle and more using  static electricity!


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Materials:


  • sheet of paper
  • two empty, clean soup cans
  • aluminum foil
  • long straight pin
  • three film canisters (or M&M containers)
  • penny
  • sheet of paper
  • neon bulb
  • small styrofoam ball
  • fishing line or thread
  • chopstick
  • foam cup
  • dozen small aluminum pie tins
  • hot glue with glue sticks
  • Fun Fly Stick (also called “Wonder Fly Stick”)

This video show you how to get the most out of your Fun Fly Stick. If you don’t have a Fly Stick, simply use an inflated balloon that you’ve rubbed on your head. In the video, the Electrostatic Lab is mounted on a foam meat tray I found at the grocery store.



 


Download Student Worksheet & Exercises


The triboelectric series is a list that ranks different materials according to how they lose or gain electrons. Near the top of the list are materials that take on a positive charge, such as air, human skin, glass, rabbit fur, human hair, wool, silk, and aluminum. Near the bottom of the list are materials that take on a negative charge, such as amber, rubber balloons, copper, brass, gold, cellophane tape, Teflon, and silicone rubber.


When you turn on your Fun Fly Stick (or rub your head with a balloon), one end of the Fun Fly Stick takes on a positive charge and the other end holds the negative charge. When you rub your head with a balloon, the hair takes on a positive charge and the balloon takes on a negative charge.


When you scuff along the carpet, you build up a static charge (of electrons). Your socks insulate you from the ground, and the electrons can’t cross your sock-barrier and zip back into the ground. When you touch someone (or something grounded, like a metal faucet), the electrons jump from you and complete the circuit, sending the electrons from you to them (or it).


Exercises


  1. What is common throughout all these experiments that make them work?
  2. What makes the neon bulb light up? What else would work besides a neon bulb?
  3. Does it matter how far apart the soup cans are?
  4. Why does the foil ball go back and forth between the two cans?
  5.  Why do the pans take on the same charge as the Fly Stick?
  6.  When sticking a sheet of paper to the wall, does it matter how long you charge the paper for?
  7.  Draw a diagram to explain how the electrostatic motor works. Label each part and show where the charges are and how they make the rotor turn.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Fun with a Handheld Van de Graff Generator”

  1. You can get one here. It’s a small Van de Graff generator (a static electricity machine). Watch the video and you’ll see the fun things you can do with it!

  2. Where do I get the Fly Stick? I’ve never herd of it.What does it do???