In this experiment, you will find something shocking and snapping.
Things Required:
Wool rug
Metal doorknob
Directions:
Find a room that has a rug and a metal doorknob. Turn off all the lights and pull down the window shades. Put on your shoes and walk across the rug to the door.
Slowly bring your index finger towards the doorknob. What did you hear? What did you feel? What did you see?
This Is What Happens:
As your shoes rub against the rug, negative charges leave it and enter your body. Although you don’t feel it, your body takes on a net negative charge.
In Nature, things like to be stable. Electric charges will move to create a stable, balanced condition.
As your hand nears the doorknob, negative charges concentrate at your fingertips. Just before you touch the knob, the charges have enough energy to “jump” across the gap. This jump produces a tiny spark. The spark heats up the air and produces a “snap”.
