Why does my hair stick up after rubbing a balloon?
Rubbing moves tiny bits called electrons from your hair onto the balloon.
Pip’s answer
- Rubbing moves tiny bits called electrons from your hair onto the balloon.
- Now your hair and the balloon want to pull together!
- Each hair gets the same kind of zap, so they push apart and stand up!
- Wow-ee, that's the same kind of power that makes lightning!
For grown-ups
Rubbing a balloon on hair transfers tiny charged particles called electrons from your hair to the balloon. The balloon becomes negatively charged and your hair positively charged, so they attract. Each hair has the same charge, so the hairs repel each other and stand apart. This is static electricity.
Ask your child: Can a rubbed balloon stick to the wall too?
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