Static Cling
In this hands-on activity, students explore the phenomenon of static electricity by engaging in the science and engineering practices of asking questions and planning and carrying out investigations. Students enact a “human diagram” to model the Bohr model of an atom. Then, in pairs, they charge a comb (on hair) and use it to attract an O-shaped piece of cereal and then watch the cereal jump away when it touches the comb. They do the same with Styrofoam pellets, observing them pulling towards a charged comb, then leaping back to the table. Through these investigations, students explore the disciplinary core ideas of electric and magnetic forces, the crosscutting concept of cause and effect, and they make sense of static electricity and what’s going on at the atomic level.
How much static electricity can a comb generate?Copyright http://vonwhairproducts.com/images/prof_strong_dual_combs.png
Engineers consider static electricity when designing, manufacturing and packaging electronic circuit boards. If too much static electricity is present, the electrical components on the circuit board may malfunction and the circuit board may become inoperable. When fabricating circuit boards for computers and electronics, engineers wear special white suits called "bunny suits" and work in "clean rooms" to help protect the circuit boards from contaminants and static electricity.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe static electricity and how it affects different objects.
- Describe different manifestations of the electrostatic force that occur as a result of the transfer of electric charge.
- Explain that engineers must consider static electricity when designing, manufacturing and packaging electronic equipment like circuit boards.