How to Measure Static Electricity
Gather your materials., Attach the copper plate to the ground connection with the jumper wire., Cut the sheet of paper into 100 square pieces 5 mm x 5 mm., Inflate the balloon., Rub the balloon 5 times across the surface of a material., Place the...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather your materials.
For this experiment you will need a small copper plate, a ground connection, jumper wires with alligator clips, white paper, scissors, a ruler, a balloon, hair, a cotton t-shirt, a polyester t-shirt, carpet, and a ceramic tile.This experiment will test the relative amount of static electricity in an object.
A small copper sheet plate can be purchased relatively cheaply online or at a hardware store.
The ground connection and alligator clip jumper wire will need to be purchased at a hardware or electronics store. -
Step 2: Attach the copper plate to the ground connection with the jumper wire.
Take one end of the alligator clip and attach it to the ground connection.
Attach the other alligator clip to the copper plate.
It doesn’t matter where the clip is placed, just so that it is connected to the grounding wire.
Touching an object to the plate removes any residual static electricity an object may have. , Using a ruler, measure out 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter squares and cut them out.
Try to cut them as close to identical in size as possible.
This process will be more accurate and go faster if you have access to a paper cutter.
Remove any lingering static electricity in the paper by placing them on the copper plate.After removing any residual static, put the pieces of paper onto a flat tray for the remainder of the experiment. , Blow up the balloon to a medium-to-large size.
The size is not important as long as you use the same balloon for every material.
If you pop the balloon during one of the tests, you will need to blow up a new balloon and start at the beginning to maintain consistency during the experiment.
Discharge the balloon of any lingering static electricity by rolling it across the copper plate., First, choose the material you want to measure the static charge.
Some good materials to test are hair, carpet, a cotton t-shirt, a polyester t-shirt, and a ceramic tile.Rub the balloon in the same direction each time across the surface of the material. , As the balloon is rubbed across the surfaces, it will be charged with varying amounts of static electricity.
When you place the balloon in the paper, the pieces will stick based on the amount of static electricity the balloon holds.
Avoid rolling the balloon around the pile of paper, just set it on top and see how many pieces stick. , Peel the pieces of paper off the balloon and count them as you do.
Different materials will lead to more or fewer pieces sticking.
Repeat the procedure with the various different materials to see how they differ.
Be sure to discharge the paper and the balloon before beginning again. , Look at the information you have recorded and compare how many pieces of paper stick to the balloon after being rubbed across the various materials.
When more pieces of paper stick to the balloon, it indicates that the material has a higher static charge.
Look at the list and see which materials caused the balloon to attract the most paper.
Hair has a lot of static electricity and will likely have led to the most paper pieces sticking.Although this method does not tell you the exact amount of static electricity an object has, it does allow you to see the relative amounts of static electricity the material contains. -
Step 3: Cut the sheet of paper into 100 square pieces 5 mm x 5 mm.
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Step 4: Inflate the balloon.
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Step 5: Rub the balloon 5 times across the surface of a material.
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Step 6: Place the balloon on the cut pieces of paper.
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Step 7: Count and record the number of paper pieces stuck to the balloon.
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Step 8: Compare the results of the different materials.
Detailed Guide
For this experiment you will need a small copper plate, a ground connection, jumper wires with alligator clips, white paper, scissors, a ruler, a balloon, hair, a cotton t-shirt, a polyester t-shirt, carpet, and a ceramic tile.This experiment will test the relative amount of static electricity in an object.
A small copper sheet plate can be purchased relatively cheaply online or at a hardware store.
The ground connection and alligator clip jumper wire will need to be purchased at a hardware or electronics store.
Take one end of the alligator clip and attach it to the ground connection.
Attach the other alligator clip to the copper plate.
It doesn’t matter where the clip is placed, just so that it is connected to the grounding wire.
Touching an object to the plate removes any residual static electricity an object may have. , Using a ruler, measure out 5 millimeter by 5 millimeter squares and cut them out.
Try to cut them as close to identical in size as possible.
This process will be more accurate and go faster if you have access to a paper cutter.
Remove any lingering static electricity in the paper by placing them on the copper plate.After removing any residual static, put the pieces of paper onto a flat tray for the remainder of the experiment. , Blow up the balloon to a medium-to-large size.
The size is not important as long as you use the same balloon for every material.
If you pop the balloon during one of the tests, you will need to blow up a new balloon and start at the beginning to maintain consistency during the experiment.
Discharge the balloon of any lingering static electricity by rolling it across the copper plate., First, choose the material you want to measure the static charge.
Some good materials to test are hair, carpet, a cotton t-shirt, a polyester t-shirt, and a ceramic tile.Rub the balloon in the same direction each time across the surface of the material. , As the balloon is rubbed across the surfaces, it will be charged with varying amounts of static electricity.
When you place the balloon in the paper, the pieces will stick based on the amount of static electricity the balloon holds.
Avoid rolling the balloon around the pile of paper, just set it on top and see how many pieces stick. , Peel the pieces of paper off the balloon and count them as you do.
Different materials will lead to more or fewer pieces sticking.
Repeat the procedure with the various different materials to see how they differ.
Be sure to discharge the paper and the balloon before beginning again. , Look at the information you have recorded and compare how many pieces of paper stick to the balloon after being rubbed across the various materials.
When more pieces of paper stick to the balloon, it indicates that the material has a higher static charge.
Look at the list and see which materials caused the balloon to attract the most paper.
Hair has a lot of static electricity and will likely have led to the most paper pieces sticking.Although this method does not tell you the exact amount of static electricity an object has, it does allow you to see the relative amounts of static electricity the material contains.
About the Author
Patrick Myers
Specializes in breaking down complex home improvement topics into simple steps.
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