Static electricity is the buildup of electrons.
Watch what happens when we get close.
Watch.
If your body has a plus charge, and you touch
a minus charge-
Ouch!
Bam - you get a spark.
But what would happen if you had the
same charges close to one another?
So if you had electrons here and electrons
here,
well, like charges you probably heard, repel.
And this is a great demonstration to
always remember that like charges repel.
You’re gonna start by finding some
simple things at the hardware store.
Piece of PVC.
This is gonna be a great electron
acceptor here in just a second.
I found this little rubber stopper,
we just need something that’s an insulator,
and on the very end of that I just put a
small piece of a wooden dowel as well.
So that whole thing is gonna go in here.
The other thing you’re gonna need
is you’re gonna need to find a plastic bag.
I really like the crinkly kind.
Yup, perfect.
That high-density kind of plastic.
And you can see I just took a pair
of scissors and cut a band like this.
All right?
And finally, we’re gonna need to have an
electron donator.
That is gonna be our fake fur.
I’m gonna take the band and I’m gonna
put it
in that fake fur and kind of pull it around
like this.
I’m trying to build up electrons on the
plastic.
And I’m gonna try to put it on the table
like that.
Perfect.
And now I’m going to build up
electrons on the piece of PVC as well.
You can hear it.
There it is - there.
I know I’ve got some electrons built up
this way.
Now the tricky part is this:
is to reach down and pick this guy up
without discharging it,
toss it into the air,
there it is.
Look at this.
And that is your floating band trick.
It’s static electricity.
We have like charges, electrons on the band,
and electrons on the wand here repelling one another.
Look at that.
Hey, hey Ben.
See if you can follow me.
Heheha!
OK, right out here.
Check it out.
Look at that.
You never get to come out here, do ya?
Oh my gosh, where am I going?
OK!
This is like a flying machine, Ben.
You can’t even go much huuuhh.
OK.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Watch this.
Let’s see if I can bo- bother somebody on
the phone.
Mikey, are you doing anything important?
Ah, of course not.
OK.
Stand up.
Check this, watch this out.
Pfft!
Boom!
See, a lot of work gets done here every
day.
Lot of work.
Gimme that.
OK.
I’m going.
Look at this: Like Olympics.
Krsssh!
Did you see that move?
Wssssh!
Like that.
Hold on, hold on.
Hold on, yes, oh you stupid thing.
Hold on, I can do it.
Here it goes.
OK, here we go.
They’ll never even know that I took a little
trip.
Now, if you’ve ever wondered how a magician
floats in the air,
backstage they just rub his or her body with
a fake fur- no,
that’s not true.
