| Everyone knows it's dangerous to play with electricity. | | | | bend toward it! |
| If a strong enough electrical current runs through your | | | | What's Happening? |
| body, it can overpower the electrical messages your | | | | The neutral particles in the water are attracted to the |
| body sends to your brain, or even stop your heart! | | | | negative charge you built up on the comb. |
| Fortunately, kid's science has some easy elementary | | | | Experiment 3: Build a Battery |
| science experiments you can do that are safe to try | | | | This experiment is a little more complicated, but the |
| at home. | | | | things you need should be available at a hardware |
| Experiment 1: Dancing dots | | | | store. You will need:citrus fruit (like oranges or lemons) |
| 1. Tear up a few pieces of paper (tissue paper works | | | | or a potatosomething copper (like a nail or coin or |
| best) into little dots and spread them out in a pile. | | | | metal strip)a piece of zinc (about the same size as |
| 2. Wet a plastic comb or brush and run it several times | | | | your piece of copper) |
| through your hair. | | | | 2 wires with crocodile clampsa small LED light or a |
| 3. Bring the comb close to the paper dots. If you | | | | voltmeter |
| brushed your hair enough, the dots should dance! | | | | 1. Press down on the fruit and roll it around on a hard |
| What's Happening? | | | | surface to break open the juice inside. |
| Everything in the world, including your hair, is made up | | | | 2. Get an adult to help you make a small cut into the |
| of tiny particles called atoms. An atom is made up of a | | | | skin of the fruit and push the copper in. Leave the end |
| hard clump of positive (+) protons, surrounded by | | | | of it sticking out. |
| whizzing negative (-) electrons. There are usually the | | | | 3. Make a small cut into the other side of the fruit and |
| same number of protons and electrons in an atom, so | | | | push the zinc in. |
| they cancel each other out. | | | | 4. Connect the end of your first wire to the copper, |
| When you run the comb through your hair, the comb | | | | and the end of your second wire to the zinc. |
| starts grabbing electrons from the atoms in your hair. | | | | 5. Connect the other ends of both wires to the LED or |
| When there are more electrons than protons on the | | | | voltmeter. You should see an electric charge! |
| comb, you create a negative electrical charge. | | | | What's Happening? |
| The paper dots are attracted to the negative charge, | | | | Combining metal with acid (like lemon juice) causes a |
| and the paper is light enough that you can use the | | | | chemical reaction that creates positive and negative |
| comb to pick them up. | | | | particles around each piece of metal. The negative |
| Try touching the comb with a finger of your other | | | | particles will move through the wires from one piece |
| hand. What happens? The dots all fall off! This is | | | | of metal to the other, which causes an electric current. |
| because the extra electrons in the comb move into | | | | If the reaction is strong enough, it can even power a |
| your finger. If there's no negative charge on the comb | | | | light bulb! |
| anymore, there's nothing to hold the dots on, and they | | | | Discover more kids science articles, look up amazing |
| will fall. | | | | fun facts, do animated science quizzes with talking |
| Experiment 2: Water Wizard | | | | characters, meet friends in virtual worlds, play games |
| 1. Turn on a faucet until you have a very thin stream | | | | and do fun science activities at Science Score - the |
| of water. The thinner the better. | | | | world's most fun online elearning product for kids. Join |
| 2. Run a plastic comb through your hair several times. | | | | the thousands of kids to play with Science Score and |
| 3. Hold the comb near the water. The water should | | | | do well in Science. |