SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
Rubbing Up Against Static Electricity
Jaden Sprague | Ms. McNeese| Syracuse junior high
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
• Will the number of wool rubs on a balloon increase or decrease how
long the static charge will last?
RESEARCH
• Summarize your research here in three to five significant facts:
– 1st point- static electricity is a stationary electric charge, typically produced by friction, that
causes sparks or crackling or the attraction of dust or hair.
– 2nd point- Electrostatic induction is a redistribution of electrical charge in an object, caused by the
influence of nearby charges
– 3rd point- The spark associated with static electricity is caused by electrostatic discharge, or
simply static discharge, as excess charge is neutralized by a flow of charges from or to the
surroundings.
– 4th point- The energy released in a static electricity discharge may vary over a wide range.
– 5th point- The energy in joules can be calculated from the capacitance (C) of the object and the
static potential V in volts (V) by the formula E = ½CV2.
• Citations wikipedia.com about static electricity and dictonary.com static electricity.
1st source- There is no author printed, wikipedia.com, No year published, no page #.
– 2nd source- no author printed, dictionary.com, no year published, no page #.
HYPOTHESIS
• If increasing the balloon number of rubs on the head then the static
charge will last longer because of the charge on the balloon from the
head.
PROCEDURE: MATERIALS
• Balloon
• Stopwatch
• Paper & Pen
• Wall or ceiling
• Head with hair
• Nothing more
PROCEDURE: STEPS
• 1.Create a data table for the results when doing the experiments of
the balloon.
• 2. Have a helper to help you time with the stopwatch.
• 3. Blow up balloon
• 4. Rub balloon on head one time and additional times every time you
do it.
• 5. Hold the balloon on the wall, than start stopwatch. See how long it
will stay. Stop stopwatch once it drops. Write answers on table.
• 6. Repeat 4 and 5 for a total of ten trials. Record your data in a table.
VARIABLES
• Controlled variables: the length of time of rubbing
• Independent variable: the hair and head
• Dependent variable: the amount of static electricity produced
DATA/OBSERVATIONS
CONCLUSION
• My results contradicted my hypothesis because the more rubs of the
balloon on the head didn’t change like I thought it would do. For
example, I thought the last trial would have longer static charge than
all of the trials before number nine trial. Every time I did a trial I
would rub the balloon more than the previous trial. Also I timed the
time with the stopwatch.