PHet Electricity Simulations Analysis Worksheet

Name: ________________

Balloons and Static Electricity

to the website: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/balloons-and-static-electricity and

click on the “Play” symbol to open the simulation.

1. Count the number of positive and negative charges on each object in the simulation and
determine the overall charge of each object.
+ Charges - Charges Overall Charge
Sweater 57 57 NEUTRAL
Balloon 4 4 NEUTRAL
Wall 54 54 NEUTRAL

2. Click on the balloon and drag it over and rub the balloon against the wall. Describe what,
if anything, happens to the balloon/wall. Pull the balloon slightly away from the wall and
release it, does anything happen? Nothing really happened because all objects stayed
neutral.

3. Now drag the balloon over the sweater and rub it against the sweater. Describe what, if
anything, happens to the balloon/sweater.
As I dragged the balloon over the sweater it began to collect negative charges. When I
released the balloon, it was attracted to the sweater.

4. Count the number of positive and negative charges on each object in the simulation and
determine the overall charge. (It might be easier to select “show charge differences” and
count how the charges have changed and use your numbers above to answer.)

+ Charges - Charges Overall Charge

Sweater 57 23 POSITIVE
Balloon 4 38 NEGATIVE
Wall 54 54 NEUTRAL

5. Pull the balloon back toward the middle of the simulation and let it go, describe what
happens? How can you explain this occurrence?
 As the balloon gets attracted to the sweater, the negatively charged balloon gets attracted
to the positively charged sweater.

6. Drag the balloon over to the wall. As you bring the balloon near the wall, what happens
within the wall? Why do you think this happens?
Because the balloon is negatively charged, the wall is repelled. Since the wall and the balloon
being very closed, the positive charges within the wall would attracts the negative charges in
the balloon.

7. Hold the balloon just away from the wall and release it. What happens? Why do you
think this happens?

Holding the balloon from the wall and releasing it would cause the positive to attracts the
negative as describe in answer six above.

8. Hold the balloon a little further from the wall and release it, keep repeating this moving
the balloon a little bit further from the wall each time until the balloon stops being
attracted to the wall. What eventually happened? Is the balloon more attracted to the
sweater or the wall? Why?
Because the law of attraction helps us understand that negative charged objects attracts
positively charged objects, we can conclude that the balloon would attracts the sweater more.
When the balloon is very close to the wall it would repelled the negative charged which would
make the wall a positive charge.

Click “Reset Balloon” then click on the picture with two balloons. Lastly click on “remove wall” to
remove the wall.

9. Determine the number of positive charges, negative charges and the overall charge of
each object. (Sweater number should not have changed.)
+ Charges - Charges Overall Charge
Sweater 57 57 NEUTRAL
Green Balloon 4 4 NEUTRAL
Yellow Balloon 4 4 NEUTRAL
 10. Take the green balloon and rub it gently against the sweater. Then determine the new
charges.
+ Charges - Charges Overall Charge
Sweater 57 48 POSITIVE
Green Balloon 4 13 NEGATIVE
Yellow Balloon 4 4 NEUTIVE

11. Drag the green balloon over to the yellow balloon, does it have any effect on the yellow
balloon? Why or why not?
Nothing happened.
12. Release the green balloon, what happens? Why?
Because the green balloon got back to the sweater, I would conclude that they are bth
attracted to one another.

13. Now drag the yellow balloon and rub it against the sweater. Determine the new charges.
+ Charges - Charges Overall Charge
Sweater 57 37 POSIIVE
Green Balloon 4 13 NEGAIVE
Yellow Balloon 4 11 NEGATIVE
14. Pull the green balloon off the sweater and put it all the way across the room. Quickly
grab the yellow balloon and bring it near the green balloon? What happens when the
balloons are brought together? Why does this happen?

Because they are both negative objects, they repel one another.

15. Try to find a way to get the 2 balloons to stick to each other.
I could not get both balloons to stick together because they both carried the same
negative charged.
16. What would you need to do in order to get the balloons to stick together? After
completing this activity is it possible to do that? Why or why not?
Yes, I can conclude that it is possible for the two balloons to stick together; however, one must
be a positively charged and the other must be negatively charged. This is because electrons can
be transfer from a negatively charged objects than that of a positively charged objects.

Analysis
17. When an object becomes charged which charge is transferred between the objects?
If the charges are opposite, they would attract. If the charges are the same, hey would repel.
If one is charged and the other is not charged, they would attract.
 18. How does an object become positively charged?
An object would be positively charged when it loses electrons.

19. How does an object become negatively charged?

An object would be negatively charged when it gains electrons.

20. In order to repel each other two objects must have ___SAME__________ charge(s).

21. In order to attract each other two objects must have _______OPPISITE_______
charge(s).

22. When the balloon was brought near the wall, the wall technically stayed neutral, but the
balloon was still attracted to the wall. How can this be explained?
Negatively charged balloons would repelled negatively charges while attracting positive charges.

Part B: John Travoltage!

Go to the following: http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/john-travoltage and click Play!
(sound on makes it more fun!)

1) Click on John Travoltage’s arm and move his finger by the doorknob. What happens?

Nothing really happened.

2) Move his finger away from the doorknob and rub John Travoltage’s FOOT across the carpet.
Describe what happens!
John starts to gain electrons

3) Move his finger toward the doorknob again. Describe what happens this time. Why does
that happen?

John’s finger got shocked because he was negatively charge and moved the electrons to the
rest of his body.

4) Move his finger away again and drag his foot across the carpet multiple times. Then bring
his hand toward the doorknob again. What do you notice about the distance between his
finger and the doorknob this time compared to the first time? Why do you think its
changed.

The distance between the finger and the doorknob becomes larger because of the amount of
charge. This made me conclude that the greater the charge, the higher the flow of electrons.
5) Before John Travoltage approaches the doorknob is the doorknob charged or neutral? What
evidence do you have to support your claim?

I would say that all objects would stay neutral unless they have been used.

6) a) Why does carpet tend to produce differences in static electricity more than hardwood or
tile floors (think!)?
Due to the fibers in the carpet being positively charged, they would lose electrons.

b) Why do you sometimes feel a shock when you touch metallic objects (like the doorknob)?

I get shock sometimes when I touch metallic objects because it has a negative charged.

7) Why doesn’t John Travoltage get a shock if he touches the doorknob without rubbing his
foot on the carpet?

John’s body is neutral and would be neutral until it has been manipulated

8) Charge John Travoltage up a lot and observe which direction the spark travels when John
Travoltage’s finger comes close to the metal doorknob.
a) Draw a diagram of his finger and the doorknob below.
b) Label the CHARGES (positive, negative, neutral) of both objects and show the direction
the spark is traveling!