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Name: Jim
Status: educator
Age: N/A
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
I am a teacher taking a College course on Elementary Science. I have been asked to devise a 25 minute lesson on electricity/static. I do not have a science background. Any suggestions?

Replies:
Jim,

Use the NEWTON search engine and type in terms like static electricity. You're likely to find much that you can adapt to your lesson. Also, bookstores will have lots of "Science For Kids" type books with electricity experiments and demonstrations. Good luck.

Regards,
ProfHoff

Jim,

One thing often interesting to students is a demonstration of static electricity. A hard rubber rod rubbed with a piece of animal fur (wool might work) often puts electric charge on both objects. The rubber prefers to grab electrons. The fur prefers to release electrons. The heat of friction results in the rod getting a negative charge with the fur getting a positive charge. This can be used to charge a light metal ball hanging from a plastic thread. Now the ball will tend to move away from the rod. This indicates like charges repelling. This is only a start.

Dr. Ken Mellendorf


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