In this lab students were exploring the properties of static electricity! Static electricity are electric charges that are stationary. For students to gain a better visual, this lab incorporated balloons!

Students were given 2 balloons and a piece of a wool sock. Just like the principles of magnetism, opposite charges attract and like charges repel. When students rubbed a balloon with the piece of wool (or their hair!) the particles rearranged making the balloon mostly negatively charged and the piece of wool (or hair) more positively charged. Students then tested the strength of the charged balloon by moving it either near their hair or near another balloon which was hanging by a piece of string. The balloon was either attracted to the other balloon (or hair) or repelled. By the end of the lab students had a better understanding of what static electricity is and its properties.