Shocking
Soda Can Races
For each contestant in the race,
you will need:
1 empty soda
can with no dents
1 balloon
What To Do:
- Blow up and tie the balloon.
- Place
the can on its side on a flat, level surface
- hardwood or vinyl
floors work best.
- Rub
the balloon on your head to create static
electricity - this works best if you have
no hairspray or gel in your hair.
- Once you have built up
a charge,
put the
charged side of the balloon about
an inch away from the
can.
- The can should start to chase
the balloon - the trick is to not move
the balloon too quickly
away from the can. If you
keep the can the same distance
away from the balloon
as
it rolls,
it will keep going. Practice
this a
few times and
get a few friends to race you across
the floor.
Rules:
- Pick
a start and an end line on
the floor.
- You can not touch
the can with
anything.
- The
first
person to roll the can
over the end line wins.
The
Science
of How This
Works:
The
balloon
collects
extremely
small particles called
electrons
from your hair when
you rub it
against your
head.
These electrons
build up and create
static
(not moving) electricity.
This is
the same electricity
that zaps you
when you shuffle your
feet across a rug in socks and
then touch a doorknob.
This static electricity will allow
the balloon
to stick to walls,
make your hair move,
or pull an empty can across the
floor.
More experiments to come . .
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