Mini Experiment 2

- For how long can the balloon contain the gathered static electricity?
- How many times must the balloon be rubbed against the hair to generate enough static electricity? 50 times? 60 times?


Electroscope

An electroscope is a device that detects static electricity by using thin metal or plastic leaves, which separate when charged.
An object with a suspected static electric charge is brought near the metal plate or ball of the electroscope. Electrical charges move to the metal and down to the foil leaves, which then repel each other. Since each leaf has the same charge (positive or negative), they repel each other.
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static_detection.html
At first I wanted to use an electroscope to check. However, I decided against it. Even though it's simple enough to make myself, the materials are a little hard to gather so


I decided to conduct a mini experiment to find out these answers


Variables:
Independent: Number of time balloon is rubbed against hair
Dependent: Time taken for hair to fall flat completely
Constant: Amount of pressure applied, size and material of balloon, amount of air pumped into balloon, speed of metronome, Height of balloon lifted over head


Experiment procedure:
1. Rub a balloon against your hair for about 40 times
2. Use a metronome to ensure constant speed
3. Lift the balloon up and hold it above your hair
4. Start the timer the moment the balloon is lifted up
5. Stop the timer when the balloon loses its static charge
6. Repeat the experiment 3 times
7. Tabulate the results for easy reference
8. Repeat step 2 - 7 as you rub the balloon against your hair for 50 times and 60 times respectively