Spinning Static Paper
This activity is taken from “Let’s Go Live with Maddie & Greg”, a live family science show on YouTube!
“We love this activity because it’s a fun way to trick your friends into thinking you have superpowers!”
This activity is all about making a piece of paper move with static superpowers!
1. Fold your piece of paper diagonally one way and repeat this in the other direction – this should create a point in the centre!
2. Place your ball of blu-tac on a steady surface.
Push the bottom of the pencil into the blu-tac so that it stands up by itself. (Be careful with the sharp tip of the pencil!)
3. Balance the point of the piece of paper on the pencil
4. Rub the ruler on your t-shirt to ‘charge it up…’
5. Now move the ruler closer to the paper (but not touching it) and see what happens! With some practice, you can use the ruler to guide the paper and make it spin!
When you rub the ruler on your t-shirt you are charging the ruler up with static electricity. This action gives the ruler additional electrons, generating a negative static charge. Meanwhile, the piece of paper balancing on the pencil has a neutral charge.
When you move the ruler close to the paper it charges up the edge of the paper with an opposite charge. Opposite charges attract, which causes the paper to get pulled in whichever direction you move the ruler!
Our favourite fact
Did you know that static electricity is used in printers and photocopiers to help attract the ink to the paper!
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Suitable For
Curriculum Areas
Curriculum Objectives
KS3 Physics: Pupils should be taught about separation of positive or negative charges when objects are rubbed together: transfer of electrons, forces between charged objects
KS3 Physics: Pupils should be taught about the idea of electric field, forces acting across the space between objects not in contact
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