27
Electricity You Can Wear
Snappy says: clothes
can cling together
because electricity is
all around us.
Did you ever wonder why clothes cling together
when they come out of the dryer? Did you ever
hear a crackling sound when you take off a
sweater? (If the room is dark you might even
see sparks.) Did you ever feel a “zap” when
you touch someone wearing a sweater on a
dry day?
These effects are caused by electricity. We
call this static electricity because the electrical
charges are not moving, although pulling
clothes apart sounds like static on a radio.
When electricity is moving (usually through
wires) to do something in another place, we
call it an electric current.
Find some clothes that cling
together in the dryer, and try
to uncling them.
Note: This project works best on
a cold dry day. If the weather is
humid, the water vapor in the air
allows the static electric charge
to dissipate, and this project may
not work.
The crackling noise you hear
when taking off a sweater is static
electricity. You may see sparks
when taking one off in a dark room.
Rub a sweater (wool is best) and
see how it clings to other clothes.
Snappy says: notice how
your hair can “stand up” or be
attracted to the comb when
the air is dry. Wetting your hair
dissipates the static charge.
Electricity In Your Hair
You need a comb (or a plastic ruler) and some
paper for this project. Rip up the paper into small
pieces. Run the comb through your hair several
times then hold it near the paper pieces to pick
them up. You can also use a pen or plastic ruler,
rub it on your clothes (wool works best).
Rubbing the comb through your hair pulls
extremely tiny charged particles from your hair
onto the comb. These give the comb a static
electrical charge, which attracts the paper
pieces.
Note: This project works best on a cold dry
day. If the weather is humid, the water vapor
in the air allows the static electric charge to
dissipate, and this project may not work.
Project 123
Project 122
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