Charge up a light bulb
What you need:
- light bulb
- comb
What do you do?
- Take the comb and light bulb into a dark closet.
- Take the comb and rub it thoroughly through your hair. If you don't have any hair, a wool shirt or sweater will work fine.
- Now hold the comb to the metal end of the light bulb while carefully watching the filament in the bulb.
How does it work?
When you rub the comb through your hair, the friction between your hair and the comb actually causes electrons to travel from your hair to the comb. Your body (hair) becomes positively charged (because it has more protons than electrons) while the comb becomes negatively charged (it gained electrons from your hair) . The comb, in effect, becomes charged. When you touch the comb to the end of the light bulb, the charged comb discharges into the light bulb causing the bulb to emit small pulses of light.
