Inpromptu Science Lesson

On cold mornings, the warmest spot in our house is the front window. Earthgirl enoyed the static electricity that resulted from sitting in the sunshine over carpet near polyester (probably) curtains. Her hair stood straight out all morning.




A teeny red string came from nowhere to adhere itself to the curtains, inspiring a little experiment. How strong was the static pull? She pulled it away, then released it again and again. We got out a ruler to see how strong the pull was. At about 10 inches, the string would fly right to the curtain. At about 14 inches, it would drop down, but still wind up stuck to the curtain before it hit the floor.

Now I know the next step should have been internet research on static electricity, maybe a search at the Library, but sometimes we just ought to say, "Isn't that cool?" and enjoy the science.