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Making tiny lightning

Was that static electricity or tiny lightning?

Have you ever been shocked when you shuffled across the carpet then touched a doorknob? Your movement created static electricity and it was released by touching something else. Static electricity builds up with friction.

A simple static electricity example is when you rub a balloon on your head. The friction causes opposite static charges to build up in your hair and in the balloon. When you slowly pull the balloon away from your head you can see these two opposite static charges attracting each other, making your hair stand up.

Now that winter and stormy weather is here, we can see nature's very own static electricity in action. Lightning is a way of releasing static electricity that builds up inside thunderclouds. It happens when static electricity jumps from a cloud to the ground. The static is made when water droplets and ice crystals rub against each other inside the cloud.

Making tiny lightningMaking tiny lightning.

Materials

  • Scissors
  • Styrofoam meat or bakery tray (clean)
  • Sticky tape
  • Aluminium pie tray

What to do

  1. Cut off the edge around one corner of the Styrofoam tray, creating an 'L' shape piece.
  2. Tape the corner piece to the centre of the pie tray to create a handle.
  3. Rub the whole bottom of the Styrofoam tray on your hair, as fast as you can for about 1 minute.
  4. Put the tray upside down on a table.
  5. Use the handle to pick up the pie tray without touching the aluminium.
  6. Hold it about 30cm above the Styrofoam tray and drop it.
  7. Now - very slowly - touch the tip of your finger onto the pie tray without touching the Styrofoam. Wow, a spark!
  8. Use the handle to pick up the pie tray again. Now touch the pie tray with the tip of your finger. Wow - another spark!
  9. Repeat steps 6 to 8 for spark after spark. If the pie tray stops giving you a spark, just rub the Styrofoam tray on your head again and start over.
  10. Now try this experiment in a dark room - it's easier to see the tiny lightning bolts.

Helpful Hint

Static experiments may not work well on hot humid days. Wait for a dryer cool day.