What the Simulation Shows
The static electricity simulation has three interactive scenes, each demonstrating a different aspect of electrostatic behaviour.
🖊 Friction Scene — A wool jumper sits on the right and a purple balloon on the left. Each click of the action button rubs the balloon against the jumper. With every rub, purple electron dots (labelled −) appear on the balloon surface and orange + charges appear on the jumper, showing that electrons physically transfer from the wool to the balloon. The balloon glows and its charge state updates with each rub, and a “← e⁻ transfer!” message flashes during the animation. After five rubs the button resets everything to neutral.
🔵 Attract / Repel Scene — Two charged spheres sit on screen. Sphere 1 is permanently negative. Clicking the button toggles sphere 2 between negative and positive. When both are negative the spheres pulse apart with repulsion arrows and the label reads “REPULSION — Like charges REPEL.” When sphere 2 becomes positive the spheres physically slide together and touch, held in contact at the centre of the canvas, with attraction arrows pulling in from either side and the label reading “ATTRACTION — Touching!” This makes the unlike-charges-attract principle visually unmistakable.
💇 Hair & Balloon Scene — A face with hair strands sits on the left. Each rub transfers electrons to the balloon, and the hair strands visibly splay outward and upward with each click, spreading further apart as more charge builds up. The hair tips show + symbols and the balloon shows − − −, demonstrating that like charges (all positive hair strands) repel each other while the negatively charged balloon is attracted toward the head.
The bottom stat cards update across all scenes showing the current scene, charge state, and number of electrons moved.
Suggested Classroom Activity
Topic: Static electricity — friction, attraction, and repulsion Level: GCSE Physics (Year 10/11) Duration: 20–25 minutes Group size: Pairs
Starter (4 min)
Hold up a balloon and a jumper. Ask: “If I rub this balloon on this jumper and then hold it near your hair — what will happen and why?” Take two or three answers without confirming. Tell students the simulation will help them build the explanation themselves.
Guided Exploration (12 min)
Step 1 — Friction scene. Click “Rub Balloon on Jumper” three times. Observe the electrons moving. Answer: Which object gains electrons? Which loses them? What charge does each end up with?
Step 2 — Attract/Repel scene. Click “Toggle Sphere 2 Charge” once and observe. Click again to toggle back. Write one sentence for each state explaining what you see and why.
Step 3 — Hair & Balloon scene. Click “Rub Balloon on Hair” five times, watching the hair after each rub. Answer: Why do the hairs spread apart from each other? Why does the balloon stay close to the head?
Mini comparison table — complete on paper:
| Observation | What charge does it have? | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Balloon after rubbing on wool | ||
| Wool jumper after rubbing | ||
| Two balloons rubbed the same way | ||
| Balloon near neutral hair |
Key Discussion Questions
- Why do electrons transfer from the jumper to the balloon and not the other way around?
- If you rubbed two identical balloons on the same jumper and held them near each other, what would happen — and which scene shows this?
- The hair strands repel each other but are attracted to the balloon — what does this tell you about the charges involved?
- Why does a charged balloon stick to a neutral wall, even though the wall has no overall charge?
Plenary (4 min)
Return to the starter question about the balloon and hair. Ask a student to now give a full explanation using the words: electrons, friction, negative, positive, attract, repel. Use the simulation on the board to verify each point as they speak.
Real-World Links to Mention
- Lightning is caused by charge build-up through friction between ice particles in clouds — the same principle as the balloon and jumper
- Photocopiers and laser printers use static electricity to attract toner powder onto paper in exactly the right places
- Anti-static wristbands worn by electricians prevent charge build-up that could damage sensitive components
- Dust clings to TV and monitor screens because the screen builds up a static charge that attracts neutral dust particles