experiment produce static electricity

• PRO Courses Guides New Tech Help Pro Expert Videos About wikiHow Pro Upgrade Sign In
• EDIT Edit this Article
• EXPLORE Tech Help Pro About Us Random Article Quizzes Request a New Article Community Dashboard This Or That Game Happiness Hub Popular Categories Arts and Entertainment Artwork Books Movies Computers and Electronics Computers Phone Skills Technology Hacks Health Men's Health Mental Health Women's Health Relationships Dating Love Relationship Issues Hobbies and Crafts Crafts Drawing Games Education & Communication Communication Skills Personal Development Studying Personal Care and Style Fashion Hair Care Personal Hygiene Youth Personal Care School Stuff Dating All Categories Arts and Entertainment Finance and Business Home and Garden Relationship Quizzes Cars & Other Vehicles Food and Entertaining Personal Care and Style Sports and Fitness Computers and Electronics Health Pets and Animals Travel Education & Communication Hobbies and Crafts Philosophy and Religion Work World Family Life Holidays and Traditions Relationships Youth
• Browse Articles
• Learn Something New
• Quizzes Hot
• Happiness Hub
• This Or That Game
• Train Your Brain
• Explore More
• Support wikiHow
• About wikiHow
• Log in / Sign up
• Education and Communications

How to Make Static Electricity

Last Updated: September 28, 2024 References

This article was co-authored by Bess Ruff, MA . Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 1,043,530 times.

Learning how to make static electricity is a great experiment to help you learn more about physical science. Depending on your interests, you can make static electricity in several different ways. To make small shocks, you can rub your socks against carpet or rub fur against plastic wrap or balloons. Or, to produce larger shocks, you can build your own electroscope using objects around the house.

Making Static Shocks with Socks and Carpet

• Warm socks that just came out of the dryer are best for conducting electricity.
• While most socks can conduct static electricity, wool socks generally work best.
• Nylon carpets are generally best for conducting electricity, but most carpets can produce static sparks. [3] X Research source
• If you don't feel a static shock, keep scuffing your socks against the carpet and try again.
• Ask the other person's permission before touching them, as not everyone likes static shock.

• Even if your electronic device has a protective case, it may still be vulnerable to static shocks.

Rubbing Balloons with Wool to Create Static Electricity

• In this experiment, you have to use a rubber balloon. Metallic balloons will not conduct static electricity when rubbed with wool.

• If you don't have any wool handy, you can rub it against your hair or a sweater/sweatshirt instead.
• You can also test the conduction by holding it near your hair. If strands of your hair lift up and touch the balloon, you've made static electricity.
• You can also try to get the air-filled balloon to stick to a nearby wall. (This experiment works better in the wintertime and in non-humid climates). You may want to keep track of the surface against which you previously rubbed the balloon, how many times it was rubbed, and how long the balloon stayed against the wall.

Making an Electroscope

• Use caution while handling sharp objects like skewers.
• After placing the cup on the pan, the straws should be facing directly upward.
• If the thread is too long and does not hang suspended in the air, cut it to size as needed.

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-static-electricity
• ↑ https://www.livescience.com/what-causes-static-electricity.html
• ↑ https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/hr/documents/public/hsu/information/electrical/staticelectricity.pdf
• ↑ http://stormhighway.com/sparkhome.php
• ↑ https://sciencebob.com/roll-a-can-with-static-electricity/
• ↑ https://sciencing.com/build-up-static-electricity-hands-8496333.html
• ↑ https://sciencebob.com/roll-a-can-with-static-electricity
• ↑ https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/Elec_p023/electricity-electronics/how-well-do-different-materials-create-static-electricity#summary
• ↑ https://www.snexplores.org/article/experiment-how-different-materials-create-static-electricity-physics
• ↑ https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/electroscope

About This Article

To make static electricity, first put on a pair of socks. Next, rub your socks across a piece of carpet for about 30 seconds. Be sure not to touch any metal or you’ll discharge the static and shock yourself. Carefully make your way to the person you want to shock and touch their skin. You should both feel a mild static shock! Did this summary help you? Yes No

• Send fan mail to authors

Reader Success Stories

Dec 16, 2016

Did this article help you?

Mar 1, 2017

Jan 22, 2018

Nov 28, 2018

Jan 9, 2017

Featured Articles

Trending Articles

Watch Articles

• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Do Not Sell or Share My Info
• Not Selling Info

wikiHow Tech Help Pro:

Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve

Six Fun Static Electricity Experiments for Science Students

Krystal DeVille

December 18, 2023

Electricity is a large part of our daily lives. Without it, we would be able to engage in any activities.

We often don’t know exactly how precious it is until we experience a power outage. Electricity doesn’t just involve currents- it also allows individuals to move, think and feel. We explore several different static electricity experiments that illustrate what this natural phenomenon can do.

Table of Contents

Experiments Using Static Electricity

Experiments using static are fun. When most people consider experiments using static electricity, then envision the one involving hair and a balloon. However, many additional experiments will amaze children of any age and can effectively also illustrate how physics and chemistry are used in creating illusions.

*Warning: These experiments may debunk some well-known magic tricks!

Before we get into all the static electricity experiments, be sure to grab my free eBook with over 25 STEM experiments for kids. For all my free downloads, check out this page here.

1. Static Electricity Butterfly

• Age: Elementary school
• Time: 15 minutes
• Difficulty Level: Easy

This experiment demonstrates how static electricity can move the wings on a tissue paper butterfly. 

• Googly eyes
• Cardstock paper
• Tissue paper

Instructions:

• Begin by cutting a square piece of cardboard into a 7″x 7″ square.
• Draw butterfly wings on a piece of tissue with a pencil. Make sure that it is smaller than your square. Cut the butterfly out and place them on the cardboard piece without gluing it.
• Cut the body of the butterfly using cardstock. Once finished, glue it to the middle of the butterfly. Make sure it overlaps the cardboard to prevent the wings from flying off. The wings need to be loose to demonstrate the effects of static electricity.
• Glue googly eyes on the butterfly. You can use pipe cleaners for antennae if you would like.
• Blow up the balloon.
• Rub the balloon on your hair to provide a static (electrical charge). Hold the balloon to the top of the butterfly. It should be close to it but shouldn’t touch the butterfly. You should see the wings lower and raise as the balloon is moved closer and further in distance. 

The Science Behind the Experiment

When a balloon is rubbed on hair, electrons form. Electrons go from the hair and are given to the balloon generating static. When a negatively charged balloon comes into close contact with positively charged tissue, they generate an attraction. The pull of the charged attraction enables the paper to move towards the balloon.

Static electricity experiments are fun to do. It incorporates both the principles of physics and chemistry into something very simple. It is the perfect way to engage any child in STEM education while teaching them that learning can indeed be fun.

2. Flying Bag Experiment

• Age: Any age
• Time: A few minutes

No, this isn’t done by using an updraft of air but with static electricity. This is what levitates the bag into the air.

• Light plastic bag
• Piece of material
• Plastic Rod
• Use the piece of cloth to run the plastic rod’s surface for 40 seconds.
• Flatten a plastic bag. Then rub the piece of fabric against the bag’s surface for 40 seconds.
• Release the bag and watch while it levitates in the air while the rod is waved below.

The fabric and rod become negatively charged after rubbing them together. Like charges are known to repel each other, so the bag appears to repel when the wand is waved.

My kids loved all the microscope activities we did hands-on in this article. It’s a great way of opening the world to what they can’t see!

3. Hovering Plates

• Age: Elementary School

Using magnets is not the only way that items can repel each other. Hovering plates illustrates this concept very well.

• 2 Styrofoam plates
• Piece of fabric, or your shirt
• Using the piece of fabric, rub the base of one plate.
• Put the plate (base up) on any flat surface.
• Attempt to place the other plate (base down) on top of the other plate. The two plates will repel each other.

This experiment works based on the principle of static electricity. This occurs when two things are rubbed together. The one plate receives electrons directly from the fabric and then becomes negatively charged. In turn, the electrons generated repel the other plate.

4. Bending Water Using Static Electricity

In nature, water can bend due to the moon exerting tidal forces. The same phenomenon can be accomplished by using static electricity.

• Running water
• Piece of cloth
• Plastic Rod or thick straw. My son used a smoothie straw like this because it’s thicker and works a little better.
• Use the fabric to rub the surface of the rod for 40 seconds.
• Create a stream of water by turning the tap on.
• Place the rod close to the water and watch with amazement as the stream bends.

This experiment can also be done using a comb. It would be best if you rubbed the comb against your hair for it to work. Then, you can use it to bend water.

Rubbing the material on the rod generates negatively charged ions. This repels the electrons found in the water. The water closest to the positioning of the rod receives positive charges from it. The attraction between positive and negative charges creates a force on the water, allowing it to appear as if it were bending.

5. Separating Pepper and Salt

Have you accidentally spilled both the salt and pepper? Here is a convenient way to separate them and sort through this lovely mess!

• Fabric or your shirt
• Thick straw
• Mix one teaspoon of pepper and salt thoroughly. 
• Rub the straw on the fabric for 40 seconds.
• Place the straw over the mixture. The pepper should jump and adhere to the straw (if it’s held over the correct places).

The granules of pepper and salt are positively charged. As a result of gaining electrons directly from rubbing the cloth, the straw attracts these positive charges located in the mix. Since pepper is lighter, it will jump with greater ease to the straw.

6. Bubble Moving Balloon

This trick is fun and easy. It will delight young children and amaze older ones. 

• Smooth sheet plastic, glass, or a kitchen plate like we used
• Dishwashing soap or bubble solution
• Charged balloon
• Spread the bubble solution on a sheet of glass or plastic. Blow larger bubbles on the sheet with the straw. 
• Charge an object like a balloon.
• Place the object near the bubble and watch as they follow the charged object. 
• Watch it move around the glass/plastic top.

Soapy water is drawn (attracted) to any object that is charged. When there is a large bubble, you can watch it move around.

Wrapping Up

I love static electricity experiments because they can be done with stuff you have lying around your house, not especially tools required. Our favorite experiment was the butterfly one. My three-year-old pretty much thought it was magic.

Another easy item to pick up is pop rocks. My kids had a great time with all the science experiments involving the cracking, popping treat in this article. Please check out our article, Fun Pop Rock Experiments Exploring Viscosity .

5 thoughts on “Six Fun Static Electricity Experiments for Science Students”

Great ideas here with materials that are readily available.

Thank you for ideas and a wonderful resource.

Kind Regards, Jan (Grandmother – Australia)

The salt and pepper experiment mentions a spoon in the directions, but it seems like it should be a straw according to the rest if the directions.

You’re right Kathryn, and thank you for pointing that out to me! The article has been updated 🙂

In the fourth one about bending water, one of the materials say ‘piece of clot’ not cloth. Just a minor error.

Thank you, good catch! I updated it.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

most recent

Activities and Games , Toy Gift Guides

Best stem subscription boxes for kids: hands-on reviews.

Science , Engineering , Math , Technology

Kiwico vs mel science: a complete breakdown.

Best Chemistry Kits for Kids (for Every Age!)

Teach Kids to Code , Activities and Games , Technology , Toy Gift Guides

11 best coding robots to teach kids to code (for all ages).

Activities and Games , Math

20 stem projects that are great for middle school.

Engineering

6 projects for learning about simple machines.

Amplify Your Outdoor Living Space with Garden Décor

STEM Education Guide

[email protected] STEM Education Guide 9125 SVL BOX Victorville, CA 92395

Your Compass for STEM Discovery

© 2024 STEM Education Guide

Top 10 Fun Static Electricity Experiments

Static electricity experiments can be a great way to introduce children to the wonders of science and spark their curiosity.

We have compiled a list of ten of the best static electricity experiments that you can try at home or school.

Whether you’re a high school student or just starting to explore the wonders of static electricity, this list has something for everyone.

Let’s dive in!

1. Static Flyer

In this experiment, we will be exploring the science behind static electricity and how it affects plastic bags. By trying out this experiment, you’ll learn about the basics of electricity, static charges, and how different materials interact with each other.

2. Salt and Pepper Static Electricity Experiment

In this experiment, we will be exploring static electricity by using just a few simple household items: salt, pepper, and a small balloon. By trying out this experiment, you’ll learn about the basics of electricity, how static charges work, and how different materials can become charged.

Learn more: Salt Pepper Static Electricity Experiment

3. Electrostatic Soap Bubble Science Experiment

Have you ever blown a soap bubble and watched it float away in the wind? Well, in this experiment, we’re going to take soap bubbles to the next level by exploring the fascinating world of electrostatics!

By adding a little bit of static electricity to our soap bubbles, we can create some incredible effects and learn about the behavior of electric charges.

4. Bending Water with Static Electricity

This experiment is a great way to learn about the basics of electricity and the behavior of charged particles. It’s also a fun and interactive way to explore science and learn something new!

So, let’s get ready to make some magic happen and bend water with static electricity in this amazing experiment!

5. Rolling Static Soda Can

Have you seen a soda can move by itself across a table? In this experiment, we’ll build a simple item that can spin a Coke can without touching it in order to explore the intriguing world of static electricity.

6. Static Pencil

This experiment, we will be exploring the basics of electricity and static charges by using just a few simple household items: a pencil, an egg, and a comb. This is a great way to learn about the basics of electricity and the behavior of charged particles.

7. Franklin’s Bells Experiment

This experiment is a great way to learn about the properties of electricity and the behavior of charged particles. By using a few simple materials like a brass ball and an insulated wire, Franklin was able to demonstrate the principles of electricity and the behavior of charged particles.

8. Spinning Paper with Static Electricity

Have you ever seen paper magically spin in the air without any visible means of support? Well, in this experiment, we will be exploring the fascinating world of static electricity by creating a simple device that can make a piece of paper spin without touching it!

9. Jumping Leaves

We will be exploring the fascinating world of static electricity by creating a simple device that can make leaves jump without touching them. By creating a static charge on a balloon and holding it near a leaf, we can generate enough force to make the leaf jump up and down!

Learn more: Jumping Leaves Static Electricity Experiment

10. Make Your Hair Stand

Have you ever rubbed a balloon on your hair and watched as your hair stood on end? This is a fun example of static electricity at work! In this experiment we can create a static charge that can be used to make your hair stand up straight.

So, let’s get ready to try our own “Make Your Hair Stand” science experiment and discover the wonders of static electricity!

Similar Posts:

• 68 Best Chemistry Experiments: Learn About Chemical Reactions
• 37 Water Science Experiments: Fun & Easy
• Top 100 Fine Motor Skills Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name and email in this browser for the next time I comment.

Static Electricity Experiments

• Build a Roller Coaster More
• Spin Like an Ice Skater More
• Reaction Time More
• Random Walk More
• Home Meteorology More
• Vortex in a Bottle More
• Collapse a Can More
• Smoke Rings More
• The Doppler Effect More
• Build a String Telephone More
• Make a Pinhole Camera More
• Science of Bubbles More
• Measure Speed of Light More

Electricity

• Plasma Ball More
• Static Electricity More
• Build an Electromagnet More
• Fusion Cookies More

What you need:

• Plastic Pen
• Small scraps of paper (holes from a hole puncher work well)
• Rub your hair on a balloon or wool sweater. What happens to your hair? Try to stick the balloon to the wall. Does it stick?
• Rub a plastic pen on the wool sweater and hold it near a stream of water. What do you observe?
• Rub the pen on the sweater again and try to pick up small pieces of paper.

What’s going on?

In all of these experiments, we are manually moving electrons from one material to another. Your hair stands up because it is full of electrons. The electrons don’t like each other and are trying to get as far away from each other as possible. The balloon sticks to the wall because it creates an induced charge. The positive charge of the balloon attracts electrons from the wall and the balloon sticks! The same thing happens with the pen and the water and the pen and the paper.

Get Your ALL ACCESS Shop Pass here →

Static Electricity Experiments For Kids

Ever noticed how when you rub a balloon against your hair, it sticks to the wall? That’s static electricity in action! Learn more about this fun science concept with simple static electricity experiments, and everyday examples of static electricity. Enjoy hands-on physics experiments for kids!

Explore Static Electricity For Physics

Static electricity happens when tiny particles called electrons build up on an object, making it either positively or negatively charged.

When these charged objects get near each other, they can do some pretty cool things, like making your hair stand on end or attracting small things, like pieces of paper or confetti.

So, static electricity is all about the invisible forces that make objects stick together or repel each other, and it’s a fun and fascinating part of science that you can explore with simple static electricity experiments below.

💡For more ways to explore physics with kids, check out our list of easy physics experiments .

Examples of Static Electricity

Here are some everyday examples of static electricity that you can explain to kids. These examples help kids understand that static electricity is all around us, and it can be both fun and surprising when we see it in action. It’s like a little bit of science magic happening every day!

• Balloon on the Wall: When you rub a balloon against your hair and then stick it to the wall, it’s static electricity at work. The balloon becomes negatively charged from the friction, and it sticks to the wall, which has a different charge.
• Walking on Carpet: Sometimes, when you walk on a carpet with socks, you may feel a shock when you touch a metal doorknob. This happens because you build up a charge by rubbing against the carpet, and when you touch the doorknob, the charge flows and gives you a little shock.
• Socks and Jumping Beans: Sometimes, when you take off your socks after walking on a carpet, they might attract small items like jumping beans or bits of paper. The socks get charged as you walk, making them attract other small objects.
• Static Cling in the Dryer: When you take clothes out of the dryer, they might sometimes stick together or to the sides of the drum. This happens because of static electricity from the friction of the clothes rubbing against each other.
• Balloons Stick Together: If you rub two balloons against your hair and then bring them close together, they might stick to each other. This is because the like charges (both negatively charged) on the balloons repel each other.
• Crackling Sounds in the Winter: In cold, dry weather, you might hear crackling sounds when you touch things or take off your winter hat. That’s static electricity being discharged.
• Lightning: Explain how lightning during a thunderstorm is a massive example of static electricity in nature. It happens when negative charges build up in the clouds and discharge as a bright bolt of lightning to the ground.
• Petting a Cat or Dog: Sometimes, when you pet your cat or dog, you might feel a little shock when you touch their fur. It’s because of static electricity from friction between their fur and your hand.

Here are some simple and fun examples of static electricity experiments and demonstrations that are great for learning at home or in the classroom.

Rolling Can Static Electricity

The rolling can experiment provides a tangible demonstration of static electricity’s captivating nature! Grab a balloon and an aluminum can to get started.

Bending Water

Can you bend a stream of water with static electricity? It’s an easy and fun science demonstration for people of various ages to try.

Static Electricity with Balloons

Rub a balloon against your hair or a piece of wool cloth, and then place it near small pieces of paper. The paper should be attracted to the balloon, demonstrating the effect of static electricity. What happens when you use different types of cloth?

We’ve tested lightweight paper, tissue paper, and tinsel! What else can you test?

Static Electricity with a Plastic Straw

Rub a plastic straw with a piece of cloth or fur and then use it to pick up small pieces of paper or confetti. The static charge on the straw will make the paper pieces stick to it.

Static Electricity with a Plastic Bag

Inflate a plastic bag and rub it against your hair or a piece of fabric. Hold the bag near a wall, which should stick to the wall due to the static charge.

Static Electricity with a Balloon and Salt and Pepper

Rub a balloon against your hair and then bring it to a plate of salt and pepper. The salt and pepper will be attracted to the balloon, demonstrating the power of static electricity.

Static Electricity with a Comb and Water

Run a comb through your hair and bring it near a thin stream of water. The water will be attracted to the comb and bend towards it.

Check out the experiment details further below!

Static Electricity with Cornstarch Goop

Make electric goop ! Mix up a batch of cornstarch oobleck and test out the power of static electricity with a balloon.

What Is Static Electricity?

Think of tiny invisible particles called electrons as little magnets. Everything around us, like your hair, a balloon, or even a piece of cloth, is made up of these particles. Learn more about electrons here.

Sometimes, when two things rub against each other, like when you rub a balloon against your hair, the electrons can get all jumbled up and move from one thing to the other.

When this happens, one thing gets extra electrons, and the other thing loses some. The one with extra electrons becomes negatively charged, like a minus sign, and the one that lost some becomes positively charged, like a plus sign.

These opposite charges make things stick together or repel each other, like magnets with opposite ends.

So, when you rub the balloon on your hair, it’s taking some of your hair’s electrons, making the balloon negatively charged.

That’s why the balloon can stick to the wall or make your hair stand up—all because of those jumbled-up electrons creating static electricity. It’s like a tiny invisible magic show happening all around us!

Also Try: Static Electricity Butterfly

Make it fly! Harness the power of static electricity.

• Lightweight Paper/Tissue Paper
• Tape and Scissors

Instructions:

STEP 1: Cut out a butterfly shape from lightweight paper or tissue paper,

STEP 2: Attach a small piece of tape to its center and affix it to a straw.

STEP 3: Generate static electricity by rubbing a balloon against the fabric. Hold the charged balloon near the butterfly.

STEP 4: Observe as the butterfly flutters toward the balloon drawn by invisible forces!

Try This Static Electricity Experiment with a Comb

This comb and water static electricity experiment is a fun way to demonstrate the principles of static electricity to kids.

• A plastic comb (the type with fine teeth works well)
• A running faucet or a source of water
• A small piece of dry paper or a small piece of tissue
• A piece of dry cloth or wool (a piece of wool fabric or a wool sweater works great)

STEP 1. Take the dry comb and rub it vigorously against the dry cloth or wool for about 20-30 seconds. This rubbing creates a buildup of static electricity on the comb.

TIP: If the comb is not dry, be sure to dry it with a paper towel or cloth so that it’s completely free of water.

STEP 2. Have a running faucet nearby or fill a small sink with a shallow layer of water.

STEP 3. Now, while still holding the comb, bring it near the running faucet or the water surface without actually touching the water.

You should see that the water stream bends toward the comb, as if the comb is magically attracting the water.

TIP: You can also try this with a small piece of tissue instead of running water. When you bring the charged comb close to the tissue, you’ll notice that it’s attracted to the comb.

What is happening?

When you rub the comb against the cloth or wool, it picks up extra electrons and becomes negatively charged. The water or tissue has a positive charge.

Opposite charges attract, so the negatively charged comb attracts the positively charged water or tissue. This is a simple demonstration of the principles of static electricity.

Make sure to explain this concept to the kids while conducting the experiment, and encourage them to try it themselves. It’s a great way to make science fun and interactive for children.

Helpful Science Resources To Use

Here are a few resources that will help you introduce science more effectively to your kiddos or students and feel confident yourself when presenting materials. You’ll find helpful free printables throughout.

• Best Science Practices (as it relates to the scientific method)
• Science Vocabulary
• 8 Science Books for Kids
• All About Scientists
• Science Supplies List
• Science Tools for Kids
• Join us in the Club

More Physical Science Activities To Explore

• Gravity Experiments
• Magnet Activities
• Simple Machine Projects
• Potential & Kinetic Energy
• Light Experiments
• Surface Tension Experiments

Science Experiments By Age Group

We’ve put together a few separate resources for different age groups, but remember that many experiments will cross over and can be re-tried at several different age levels. Younger kiddos can enjoy the simplicity and hands-on fun. At the same time, you can talk back and forth about what is happening.

As kiddos get older, they can bring more complexity to the experiments, including using the scientific method , developing hypotheses, exploring variables , creating different tests, and writing conclusions from analyzing data.

• Science for Toddlers
• Science for Preschoolers
• Science for Kindergarten
• Elementary Science by Season
• Science for 1st Grade
• Science for 2nd Grade
• Science for 3rd Grade
• Science for 4th Grade
• Science for 6th Grade
• Science for Middle School

Printable Science Projects For Kids

If you’re looking to grab all of our printable science projects in one convenient place plus exclusive worksheets and bonuses like a STEAM Project pack, our Science Project Pack is what you need! Over 300+ Pages!

• 90+ classic science activities  with journal pages, supply lists, set up and process, and science information.  NEW! Activity-specific observation pages!
• Best science practices posters  and our original science method process folders for extra alternatives!
• Be a Collector activities pack  introduces kids to the world of making collections through the eyes of a scientist. What will they collect first?
• Know the Words Science vocabulary pack  includes flashcards, crosswords, and word searches that illuminate keywords in the experiments!
• My science journal writing prompts  explore what it means to be a scientist!!
• Bonus STEAM Project Pack:  Art meets science with doable projects!
• Bonus Quick Grab Packs for Biology, Earth Science, Chemistry, and Physics

It’s a wonderful world — and universe — out there.

Come explore with us!  

Science News Explores

Experiment: how well do different materials create static electricity.

Investigate by making your own electroscope and testing some

When you rub a balloon against your hair, it’s liable to stick! That cling is known as static electricity. We investigate the phenomenon in closer detail in this experiment.

omar alrawi/Flickr/( CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED )

Share this:

• Google Classroom

By Science Buddies

November 13, 2023 at 12:00 pm

Objective : Make an electroscope to test several objects made out of different materials to see which ones produce, or conduct, the most static electricity

Areas of science : Electricity & electronics

Difficulty : Easy intermediate

Time required : ≤ 1 day

Prerequisites : None

Material availability : Readily available

Cost : Very low (under $20)

Safety : When working with electricity, take precautions and beware of electric shock

Credits : Sara Agee, Ph.D. and Teisha Rowland, Ph.D., Science Buddies; this idea was adapted from a project on how to build an electroscope on the ZOOM science activities website hosted by PBS Kids

Static electricity  is the build-up of  electrical charge  in an object. Sometimes static electricity can suddenly discharge, like when a bolt of lightning flashes through the sky. Other times, static electricity can cause objects to cling to each other, like socks fresh out of the dryer. The static cling is an attraction between two objects with different electrical charges,  positive  (+) and  negative  (-). You can read more about electricity in the Science Buddies  Electricity, Magnetism & Electromagnetism Tutorial .

You can create static electricity by rubbing one object against another object. This is because the rubbing releases negative charges, called  electrons . The electrons can build up to produce a static charge. For example, when you shuffle your feet across a carpet, you are creating many surface contacts between your feet and the carpet, allowing electrons to transfer to you, building up a static charge on your skin.

You can suddenly discharge the static charge as a shock when you touch a friend or some objects. Similarly, when you rub a balloon on your head, it causes opposite static charges to build up in your hair and in the balloon. When you pull the balloon slowly away from your head, as shown in Figure 1, you can see these two static charges attracting each other. Your hair stands on end and tries to stick to the balloon!

How can static electricity be measured? One way is to use an  electroscope . An  electroscope  is a scientific instrument that detects if there is an electrical charge, and it can show how big the electrical charge is. A drawing of one type of electroscope is shown in Figure 2, below. How does it work?

Figure 2: This is a drawing of a simple electroscope. When the electroscope receives an electrical charge (from the green rod at the top), the two gold pieces (in yellow) push apart from each other. The bigger the charge the electroscope receives, the farther apart the gold pieces are pushed. If the gold pieces have no electrical charge, they will hang straight down, touching each other.

An electrical charge is transferred to the electroscope (by touching it, as shown with the dark green rod), and the electrical charge goes into two separate metal pieces on the electroscope. In the drawing above, these two pieces are in yellow and represent two thin pieces of gold. The electrical charge makes both of these pieces have the  same charge . While objects that have opposite charges are attracted to each other (like the balloon and your hair), objects that have the same charge (such as in the electroscope) are actually  repelled  by, or pushed away from, each other.

In the electroscope drawing, the two pieces of gold have become charged with the same charge (they are either both negatively charged, or both positively charged), so they are pushed apart from each other. The bigger the charge, the farther apart the two pieces are pushed. If the gold pieces have no charge (in other words, they are  neutral ), or they have opposite charges, then they will hang straight down, touching each other.

In this science project, you will build a homemade electroscope to test several objects made out of different materials to see which ones produce, or  conduct , the most static electricity. Then you will put your results together to formulate a  triboelectric series , which is an ordered list that describes the type of charge an object has as a result of static electricity. The results may shock you!

Terms and Concepts

• Static electricity
• Electrical charge
• Electroscope
• Triboelectric series
• How can static electricity be measured?
• How do different materials react to static electricity?
• Which materials are neutral and which ones are charged?
• How does an electroscope work?

Materials and Equipment

• Styrofoam™ or paper cup
• Sharp pencil or skewer
• Drinking straw
• Aluminum pie pan
• Optional: clay
• Aluminum foil
• Styrofoam plate, or the Styrofoam lid from a take-out food container
• A desk or table that is not metal. For example, a wooden, plastic, or glass desk or table would work. This is because these materials do not conduct electricity as well as metal does.
• Wooden ruler, metric (a plastic ruler is more likely to build up its own static electricity and affect your measurements, so a wooden ruler is recommended)
• Plastic wrap
• Plastic, such as a flat, plastic comb
• Tissue paper
• Lab notebook

Experimental Procedure

• Make two holes near the bottom of a Styrofoam or paper cup on opposite sides. A good way to do this is by pushing a sharp pencil or skewer through the cup.
• Push a straw through both of the holes in the cup so that your setup now looks like Figure 3.
• Either securely tape the cup’s opening to the aluminum pan, as shown in Figure 4, or use clay to hold the cup to the pan. If you are using clay, stick four little balls of clay (each about 2 centimeters, or 0.8 inch, in diameter) to the rim of the cup, then turn the cup upside down and stick it to the bottom of the aluminum pie pan using the clay.
• Carefully adjust the straw’s position so that one end of the straw is right above the edge of the pan, as shown in Figure 4.
• Cut a piece of thread with a length that is about two or three times the distance between the straw and the pan’s edge. Tie a few knots in one end of the thread.
• Cut a square of aluminum foil that is about 3 centimeters (1.2 inches) on each side. Use it to make a ball around the knots in the thread, as shown in Figure 5. The ball should be about the size of a marble or a little smaller. It should be just tight enough so it does not fall off the thread.
• Tape the thread to the tip of the straw so that the ball of foil hangs straight down from the straw,  just touching  the edge of the pan, as shown in Figure 6. Adjust the straw’s position if needed. If the end of the thread without the ball is dangling down and touching the pan, cut the dangling part off so it does not touch the pan.
• If the straw seems loose at all, tape the straw to the cup (or wedge in some clay) so the straw does not move around when you use the electroscope.

• When you rub the balloon on the Styrofoam plate, the plate gets an electrical charge, which means there is a buildup of electrons (on either object, the balloon or the plate). Even though the plate is charged, the electrons stay where they are because Styrofoam does not conduct electricity.

• What is happening? When an object, such as the Styrofoam plate, gets an electrical charge, it can be either positive or negative. (If an object has a lot of electrons, it can have a negative charge, but if it does not have many electrons, it can have a positive charge. Whether an object tends to gain or loses electrons depends on the type of material it is made out of.) When a charged object (like the charged plate) touches the aluminum pan, the charge (or electrons) easily moves through the metal pan. Since the aluminum ball is touching the pan, the ball gets the same charge as the pan. This means that both the ball and pan have the same charge (they are either both positively or negatively charged). Because objects that have the same charge are repelled by each other, the ball is pushed away from the pan.

• Use a wooden ruler to measure the distance between the foil ball and the pan. The more charge there is, the more distance there will be. Be careful not to touch the ball or the edge of the plate with the ruler (or your body) when you measure this distance. In your lab notebook, make a data table like Table 1, and record your results in it. (This will be Trial 1 using Styrofoam.) In your data table, only list the objects you actually test.
• Now touch the ball with your finger. What happens? Record any observations in the data table in your lab notebook.
• Discharge your electroscope by touching the pan with your finger.
• Rub the object you want to test about 20 times with the balloon.
• Once you have charged the object, quickly lift up the electroscope (holding it by its Styrofoam or paper cup) and place the object on top of the Styrofoam plate so that the object is laying flat on the plate. Make sure the object is not touching the table. Then place the electroscope on top of the object, as shown in Figure 8. (Note: Putting the object on top of the Styrofoam plate will help prevent the electric charge from leaving the object before it can go into the electroscope.)
• Use the wooden ruler to measure the distance between the foil ball and the pan, making sure not to touch the pan or ball with your ruler (or your body). Record your results in your data table. Then touch the ball with your finger and record your observations.
• Repeat steps 6.i. to 6.iv. two more times for the same object so that you have done three trials using the same material.
• Repeat steps 6.i. to 6.v. for each object you want to test. Be sure to do two more trials using the Styrofoam plate (as you did in steps 2 to 5) so that you have done three trials with it. When you are done, you should have done a total of three trials with each object/material.
• For example, if when testing the Styrofoam plate you measured the distance to be about 0.5 centimeter (cm) in trial 1, 0.75 cm in trial 2, and 0.5 cm in trial 3, the average distance would be about 0.6 cm (since 0.5 cm + 0.75 cm + 0.5 cm equals 1.75 cm, and when divided by three this equals about 0.6 cm).
• On the x-axis (the horizontal axis) put the material that was tested, and on the y-axis (the vertical axis) put the average distance between the ball and the pan. Make a bar for each material you tested.
• You can make a graph by hand or by using a computer program such as  Create a Graph .
• Which materials were the most electrically charged (had the largest distance between the ball and plate) and which were the least charged?
• Arrange the materials from most charged to least charged. This is a triboelectric series and can be written as an ordered list or chart. How do common objects rank in the series? You can do some additional research on triboelectric series and see how your results compare to other established series. What are some similarities, and what are some differences?
• Some objects become negatively charged and other objects become positively charged with static electricity. Does this kind of electroscope detect both types? How can you tell the difference between the two? Try to discover a way to sort the charged items into positively and negatively charged items.
• Static electricity is formed when many surface contacts are made between two objects. Conduct an experiment to test if the amount of static electricity formed is related to the amount of rubbing that two objects experience. See the related project,  Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity .
• Static electricity is not good when it gets in your clothes! How do dryer sheets work? Try an experiment rubbing an object with a dryer sheet (like Bounce) after rubbing against the balloon. What happens to the electroscope reading after rubbing a charged object against the dryer sheet? Can you detect a difference before and after contact with the dryer sheet? If so, you can compare the results from different products. How do they compare? Which brands are most effective?
• For a more advanced experiment, try investigating static electricity in different conditions, temperatures and humidity .
• In this science project you made a simple homemade electroscope, but there are other methods of making electroscopes. Do some research on how other electroscopes are made and try to test a different electroscope design, or come up with your own!

This activity is brought to you in partnership with  Science Buddies . Find  the original activity  on the Science Buddies website.

More Stories from Science News Explores on Physics

Weirdly, mayo can help study conditions ripe for nuclear fusion 

Science reveals the reasons behind painful paper cuts

Scientists Say: Kugelblitz

Experiment: Making music with bottles

Scientists Say: Magnetosphere

Scientists Say: Cosmic rays

The periodic table might soon have a new element

Lasers help put the cork on spilled oil