Science Lesson 6: How can we

detectI can
other
explainnon-contact
what causes static toforces?
happen

Think about what happens when two magnets interact

Click on black box for video

Can you see the force? How do you

know there is a force?
What we know: magnets can push and/or pull on each
other
You cannot see the force
Does a magnet have to touch or come in contact with
other magnetic objects, like a paper clip, in order to
exert a force on them?

What forces will act on this balloon

if I place it against the wall?

The force of gravity if it falls to the

floor

What happens if I charge it with a

piece of nylon netting?

The balloon stuck to the wall.

Why do you think this happened? What forces are acting on the balloon now?

You DO-WORK TIME EXPECTATIONS

You will be working with a partner at two stations to
explore the force acting on the balloon. You MUST follow
the directions for each station and record observations
in your science notebook.

Lets Discuss-Station 1
Cause-What did you notice when you moved the rubbed balloon over the
back of your hand?
Cause-What did you notice when you moved the rubbed balloon over the
palm of your hand?
Cause-What did you notice when you moved the rubbed balloon over your
head?
EFFECT: The force of attraction is more in some places than other
places

Lets Discuss-Station 2
Cause-What did you hear when you brought other
objects near your rubbed balloon?
EFFECT: Crackling If the object is a conductor the
static charge will jump across the air gap making the
crackling sound

Based on your observations, what can we say about the force acting on the balloon?

There is force acting on the balloon that attracts some

objects which can be felt or heard.

The force they experience (felt and heard) is called a

static electric force. This force is created when the
balloon was rubbed with nylon netting. Some materials can
become statically charged when rubbed by other
materials.

Write this in your science journalConclusion

We learned that when you rub a balloon with nylon
netting it becomes statically charged. We know this
because we could feel and hear the charge.

Add a vocabulary word to your

science journal
A Static electric charge is a force that can be detected
using our senses.