Balloons and Static Electricity

Balloons and Static Electricity is a fun way to explore science without bothering your cat! You know those times when you rub a balloon on your clothes or even on your pet, and then it sticks to the wall? It’s all in the name of science, but let's keep our furry friends out of it!

What You’ll Discover

With this cool Java-animated simulation, you can rub a balloon against a super ugly sweater (seriously, it's pretty bad) and watch what happens. The simulation even has a bright yellow wall for extra fun! When you do this, you’ll see how the balloon sticks either to the sweater or the wall.

Electrons at Work!

The best part about using this app instead of just doing it in real life is that you can actually see the charges on each object. This means when you rub that balloon on your sweater, most of the electrons (which are negatively charged) move over to the balloon. That leaves behind protons (positively charged) on the sweater!

How Does It Stick?

Now here’s where it gets interesting! When you bring that balloon close to the wall, all those negative electrons in the balloon push away some of the electrons in the wall. This leaves only positive protons on that wall. And guess what? Opposites attract! So, that’s why your balloon sticks right there!

A Simple Experiment

This program isn’t packed with tons of different experiments; it mostly lets you play around with one or two balloons at a time. But hey, it’s perfect for classroom use! Teachers can explain everything better and help students come to some awesome conclusions about static electricity.

If you're ready to have some educational fun while learning about static electricity, check out Balloons and Static Electricity.