You will need
- A balloon
- A pen
- Sticky tape
- Scissors
- Paper towelling (for variable testing; try coffee filter paper, wrapping paper and regular paper too!)
- Woollen cloth (fr variable testing; try cotton or satin too!)
- A desk
Draw some simple outlines of ghosts on your paper towelling. Extension idea; try different size ghosts for your experiment too!
Cut out your paper ghosts and then tape them to your desk.
Rub your balloon on your shirt or alternatively on some woollen cloth.
Bring your charged balloon towards your taped paper ghosts. Can you get them to rise? Extension idea; why not try to get them to fly up to the balloon by not taping them to the desk?
Get the Electricity & Magnetism Unit of Work here!
- How does electricity actually flow?
- What makes magnets become magnetic?
- Why is there electromagnetism and what does this tell us about electricity & magnetism?
- From series & parallel circuits to conductors & insulators, there’s a lot to explore & learn!
Includes cross-curricular teaching ideas, student quizzes, a sample marking rubric, scope & sequences & more.
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Why does this work?
Rubbing an object can cause it to build up an electrical charge. This happens because the rubbing action can make one object pass electrons to another. Which way the electrons travel is dependent upon what materials you are rubbing together.
A loss of electrons makes an object positively charged and a gain of electrons makes an object negatively charged.
Opposite charges attract, like charges repel.
So how does the balloon work? The charge built up on the balloon is the opposite to the charge of the paper ghosts.
Opposites attract!
Interactive Simulation
Check out this interactive simulation created by the University of Colorado PhET Project below.
- Click on the balloon and drag it around the shirt and see how the electrons interact.
- Bring the balloon into the clear space and let it go to see where it is attracted.
- Watch what happens to the electrons on the wall as you bring the balloon closer.
| Click to Run |
PhET Interactive Simulations
University of Colorado Boulder
https://phet.colorado.edu
Variables to test
- How big can you make the paper ghosts?
- What happens if you use cellophane?
- Does the thickness of the paper make a difference?
- Try the experiment during low vs. high humidity… which works better?
Extension experiment
Create a Buzz!
Years 3 to 6
Maximum 30 students
Workshop or show (NSW & VIC)
60 or 90 minutes
Online Class Available
STEM Full Day Accelerator - Primary
Designed from real classroom experiences, this modular day helps you create consistently effective science learning that directly address the new curriculum with easily accessible and cost-effective materials.
Hands-on Kids Science Party
>20 hands on science experiments
Gigantic bubbles
Slime making
Professional science show
From $395 inc. GST
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