![]() | Project title | The danger of static electricity at gas stations![]() ![]() |
Difficulty Level | Middle school | |
Project page |  Click here to view this science project | |
Description | ||
Accidents have been known to occur at gas stations, when on especially dry days, static electricity is discharged as a driver exits or enters his car. This is especially dangerous at gas stations, as the sparks that occur during discharge sometimes lead to explosions. This science fair project was performed to investigate the amount of static electricity discharged between car seats, clothing and hair. Do leather seats or PVC (polyvinylchloride) seats produce more static electricity? Is it our clothes, or our hair that's responsible for generating static charges? For this experiment, the materials tested were cotton, polyester, nylon and hair. | ||
Instructions preview | ||
1. For this science fair project, the independent variable is the type of materials tested – namely PVC and leather car seats, against cotton, polyester, nylon and hair. The dependent variable is the number of paper pieces picked up by the balloon. The constants (control variables) are the size of the balloon, the number of times the balloon is rubbed on the material tested, the direction of rubbing, and the weight of the paper bits. 2. The copper plate is grounded by connecting the jumper wire to the ground connection. 3. 200 pieces of paper measuring 5mm by 5mm ..... |