You have probably experienced static electricity at work when you have walked across a carpeted area in the winter and then touched a doorknob or someone else creating a shock you can feel, see and hear.

What is happening? The shock is caused by a buildup of negative electrons gathered off of the carpeting. When you touch something with a weaker or positive charge, the transfer of electrons caused a static electrical shock.

We have a more detailed explanation of static electricity on this bending water experiment

Let’s look at another, less painful, way to experiment with static electricity. Grab a balloon, an aluminum can, and tissue paper and try this at home!

Try this static electricity experiment at home. Do you have different results if you change the size of the balloon, the length of hair, the size or weight of the can? Let us know!

Try this fun variation of the static electricity experiment…