One of the Most Powerful Forces in the Universe

Project Number: 76

Methods: Find some clothes that cling together in your dryer, and try to uncling them. The crackling noise you hear when taking of a sweater is static electricity. You may see sparks when taking off one in a dark room. Rub a sweater (wool is best) and see how it clings to other clothes.

Description: The methods above are caused by electricity. We call this static electricity because the electrical charges are not moving, although pulling clothes away from each other when they cling together sounds just like the static on a radio. When electricity is moving (usually through wires) to do something in a place, we call it an electric current. Electricity exists everywhere but it is so well balanced that you seldom notice it. But sometimes, electrical charges get separated and will build up a difference between materials, and sparks can fly. Lightning is the same effect as the sparks between clothes, but on a much greater scale. A cloud holds static electricity just like a sweater does.

Snappy: The static electricity around us is extremely powerful. If we could learn to move and to control it, we might have all the energy we need. Maybe someday you will find a way.

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 then this project may not work.