Accepted idea

My water 'bending' experiment has been accepted!

So from now on, I will be conducting experiments to test out my experiment. 

The water "bending" experiment

“Bending” water using static electricity

Research question: Does the distance between the stream of water and the balloon affect the degree of ”bend” of the water?

Materials: Water faucet, balloon, balloon pump, protractor, ruler, camera, scale 

Hypothesis: The closer the balloon is to the stream of water, the larger the degree of ‘bend’ of the water. 

Variables:

Dependent: Degree of ‘bend’ of the water

Independent: Distance between the stream of water and the balloon

Constant: Size of the stream of water, size of the balloon, amount of static electricity produced, material of the balloon, amount of air pumped into the balloon

Experiment procedure:

1. Make a scale and place it behind the water faucet (Ensure that the stream of water is flowing straight along the line drawn on the scale)

2. Use the balloon pump to pump up the balloon (about 30 pumps?)

3. Rub the balloon against your hair (about 40 times?)

4. On the water faucet to the maximum

5. Place the balloon near the faucet (about 5cm)

6. Take a video of the process
7. Repeat the experiment again for about 3 times 

8. Tabulate the results

9. Repeat steps 2-8 for another 2 times (place the balloon at different distances away from the stream of water each time e.g. 9cm,15cm)

* Scale

 -> LInes drawn on black paper with a distance about 1cm away from each other

-> To determine the degree of 'bend' => Sometimes the naked eye cannot determine the bend

Background information:
Static electricity
- What is static electricity?

Static electricity is the accumulation of electrical charges on the surface of a material, usually an insulator or non-conductor of electricity. It is called “static” because there is no current flowing, as there is in alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) electricity. Typically, two materials are involved in static electricity, with one having an excess of electrons or negative (−) charges on its surface and the other material having an excess of positive (+) electrical charges. Atoms near the surface of a material that have lost one or more electrons will have a positive (+) electrical charge.


- How is static electricity generated? 

Static electricity is usually caused when certain materials are rubbed against each other—like wool on plastic or the soles of your shoes on the carpet. It is also caused when materials are pressed against each other and pulled apart. The process causes electrons to be pulled from the surface of one material and relocated on the surface of the other material. It is called the triboelectric effect or triboelectric charging.
The material that loses electrons ends up with an excess of positive (+) charges. The material that gains electrons ends up an excess of negative (−) charges on its surface.
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static.htm
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_causes.htm

History of static electricity
Ancient times:

This is because everyone has heard the story of Franklin flying his kite during a lightning storm.

○However that was not when electricity was discovered. Electricity was first mentioned in the works of a Greek scientist named Thales of Miletus in about 600BC!

● Thales noticed that if amber (hardened tree sap) was rubbed, it had the ability to pick up dust and leaves. What he was seeing is what we now call “static

electricity”

● Another Greek named Theophrastus noticed in 300BC that

other substances had static electricity if rubbed.

● Unfortunately neither Thales nor Theophrastus had any

scientific explanation for it… they just thought it was

interesting.

Law of charges:

- Like charges repel

- Opposite charges attract 

In 1600AD an Englishman named William Gilbert started studying

these phenomena.

● He wanted to come up with a good scientific explanation for

these ancient discoveries.

● Although he had only some success in describing electricity, he

was able to show that there were differences between magnetism and electricity that seemed to indicate that they were completely different things.

○ For example, an amber rod had to be rubbed to have electric effects; a magnet was always a magnet (didn't need to be rubbed).

● Up until that point most scientist had believed electricity and magnetism were just different

versions of the same thing.

Modern theory 

Law of Conservation of Charge

The net amount of electric charge produced in any process is zero

This just means that even though you can move around charges, you can’t create or destroy them

Sometimes the atom may lose or gain electrons.

● Nothing happens to the stable nucleus made up of protons and neutrons.

● It is the electrons that are being stripped off or added on because they are on the far outside

edge of the atom.

● If the atom loses electrons it will have a positive charge… if it gains electrons it has a negative

charge.

● Either way, it is now called an ion.

Usually when an object is charged by rubbing, the charge only lasts a little while… where does the

charge go?

● Most of the charge “leaks off” to water molecules in the air 

○ Water is a polar molecule, which means one end is more negative and the other

is more positive.

○ The positive end can temporarily pick up electrons.

http://www.studyphysics.ca/2007/30/06_forces_fields/06_statichistory.pdf