Elenco Circuit Maker Sound Plus 200 - Manual (Page 62)

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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 #158 Electricity You Can Wear
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.
Project #159 Electricity in Your Hair
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.
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.
CM-200_Manual_031914.qxp_CM-200_Manual_031914 4/2/14 12:05 PM Page 62