Have you ever been able to bend water? No, water is a free-flowing liquid. Pour it out from any container, and it will fall down in a straight flow. But we are telling you that you can bend or tilt the downward flow of water, though only slightly. No magic, just pure science. Try for yourself in our bending water experiment. All you need is a balloon, a faucet with continuous supply of water, and a person with dry, clean hair.
Materials Required
Balloon – 1
Water faucet
Dry hair
Steps to follow
- Blow up the balloon and tie a knot at the end.
- Turn on the faucet lightly so that water drips in a thin stream. It is very important that the flow of water is in a thin line.
- Hold the inflated balloon near the water.
- Does anything happen to water? No. It keeps flowing uninterruptedly.
- Now rub the inflated balloon against dry hair in a rapid movement. Do this several times.
- Hold the rubbed balloon near the water. It should be very close to water, without touching it.
- What do you see? Water flow slightly bends towards the balloon. Now we have a water stream titled to one side.
What we learn
In the bending water experiment, the bending of water was due to the action of static electricity. When we rub the balloon against hair, these is a build-up of static electricity in the balloon. Static electricity refers to an imbalance in electrical charges. We know that every material is made of tiny building blocks called atoms. These atoms have positively and negatively charges components, which are called protons and electrons. When we rub two objects, electrons from one may jump to the other, causing an imbalance in electric charge.
When balloon is rubbed against hair, it becomes negatively charged due to the transfer of electrons from hair to balloon. This balloon is brought close to water which is neutrally charged. The electrons in the balloon attracted the protons in water. Thus the bending of water occurred. This magical water bending is so easy to understand!
Check our Experiments section to explore more of such easy and interesting activities.
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