Elenco Circuit Maker Skill Builder 125 - Manual (Page 59)

Find some clothes that cling together
in the dryer, and try to uncling them.
Note: This project works best on
a cold dry day. If the weather is
humid, the water vapor in the air
allows the static electric charge to
dissipate, and this project may not
work.
The crackling noise you hear when
taking off a sweater is static
electricity. You may see sparks
when taking one off in a dark room.
Snappy says: clothes
can cling together
because electricity is
all around us.
Rub a sweater (wool is best) and
see how it clings to other clothes.
Project #119 Electricity You Can Wear
Project #120 Electricity In Your Hair
Snappy says: notice how
your hair can “stand up” or be
attracted to the comb when
the air is dry. Wetting your hair
dissipates the static charge.
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Did you ever wonder why clothes cling
together when they come out of the dryer? Did
you ever hear a crackling sound when you take
off a sweater? (If the room is dark you might
even see sparks.) Did you ever feel a “zap”
when you touch someone wearing a sweater
on a dry day?
These effects are caused by electricity. We
call this static electricity because the electrical
charges are not moving, although pulling
clothes apart sounds like static on a radio.
When electricity is moving (usually through
wires) to do something in another place, we
call it an electric current.
You need a comb (or a plastic ruler) and some
paper for this project. Rip up the paper into small
pieces. Run the comb through your hair several
times then hold it near the paper pieces to pick
them up. You can also use a pen or plastic ruler,
rub it on your clothes (wool works best).
Rubbing the comb through your hair pulls
extremely tiny charged particles from your
hair onto the comb. These give the comb a
static electrical charge, which attracts the
paper pieces.
Note: This project works best on a cold dry
day. If the weather is humid, the water vapor
in the air allows the static electric charge to
dissipate, and this project may not work.
CM-125_Manual_031514.qxp_CM-125_Manual_031514 4/2/14 12:31 PM Page 59