How to Make Electricity With Balloons

Static electricity occurs when two objects with opposite charges come into contact with one another. This imbalance occurs when an object loses some of its electrons to another object, such as when rubbed together. This gives the object losing electrons a positive charge and the one receiving the electrons a negative charge, because electrons carry a negative charge. When you rub a balloon against your hair, many electrons from the atoms in your hair "jump over" to the balloon, giving it a negative charge. Since opposite charges attract each other, the negatively charged balloon sticks to a positively charged wall.

Instructions

1. • 1

     Inflate a balloon to its full size.

   • 2

     Rub the balloon on your head hair vigorously for several seconds. This causes the material that constitutes the balloon to "pick up" many additional electrons and become negatively charged.

   • 3

     Stick the balloon to a wall where it will remain until the static charge becomes dissipated. The balloon sticks because while the balloon is negatively charged, the wall is more positively charged.