The Levitating Orb 

Question: What happens when mylar tinsel comes in contact with a PVC pipe that has been rubbed against fur?

Hypothesis: I predict that when the mylar tinsel comes in contact with the PVC pipe that has been rubbed against fur, the mylar tinsel will repel away from the PVC pipe and start to levitate.  

Picture
Our Experiment

Safety Procedures

 1. Use a piece of fur to charge the pipe.  Do not charge the pipe by using hair for sanitary reasons.
 2. Don't swing or hit anyone with the pipe
 3. If you have an allergy to fur please us know. 


Materials: 

Picture
  • 1 PVC pipe (plastic)1 or 2 inches wide and 2 feet long .
  • 6 strands of Mylar tinsel (18 inches)
  • 1 patch of fur
  •  Scissors 

Procedure:


  1. Place all 6 strands of Mylar tinsel next to each other and tie a knots about 3 inches down on each side.  
  2. Cut off the extra Mylar tinsel with scissors near the knots.
  3.  Then you take the PVC pipe and rub it against the fur to make the pipe have a static charge for about 30 rubs or more.  
  4. Last you drop the 6 strands of tied Mylar tinsel (or orb) over the pipe.
  5. Once the orb touches the pipe, the tinsel will start to levitate.
  6. Watch how you can move the levitating orb with the pipe.

       Extension: Now try this, rub the fur against the pipe for fewer rubs and see what happens.


    The Science behind it

     Alike static charges repel away from each other because when you rub the pipe on the fur you will give the pipe a negative static charge. The orb is attracted to the pipe because the orb is positively charged. As soon as the orb touches the pipe, it picks up a negative charge and since the pipe is negatively charged, the Mylar tinsel orb is now negatively charged too. They then repel away from each other and cause the orb to levitate. The orb has a more of a ball form because the tinsel strands are repelling away from each other.




   Conclusions

 We accept our hypothesis because when the Mylar tinsel came in contact with the PVC pipe it started to levitate.


About Danielle

 Danielle likes to do soccer, dance  and horseback. She likes the color green. Her favorite special is reading and art.


About Natalia

 Natalia likes basketball, soccer, and baseball. She likes the color green. Her favorite special is art.