Go to http://phet.colorado.edu/simulations/sims.php?sim=Electric_Field_Hockey
and click on Run Now.
1. You rub balloons in your hair and then hang them like in the picture below. Explain why you think they move apart and what might affect how far apart they get.
They move apart because they become charged while you are rubbing them in your hair and the charges are the same on both balloons. The more charges you get on the balloon the further away they will move from one another because the charges will be stronger and they will repel more strongly and rapidly.
2. Test your ideas using Electric Field Hockey in the Practice mode. Make a table to record your observations about what affects the direction and speed of the puck. Your table should demonstrate that you have run controlled tests with all the variables.
First it depends if the puck is a positive or negative charge that determines whether it will be attracted to or repelled from the positive and negative balls. It also depends on the mass of the puck the smaller the mass the faster the puck moves. Another variable is how many charges you have near the puck the more you have in a straight line the quicker it attracts or repels. It also depends where you put the charged balls around the puck to determine which direction it goes.
3. Reflect on your ideas from question #1 and your data from question #2. How do your observations support, dispute or add to your ideas about what affects how charged bodies interact?
It supports what I had originally stated that the stronger or more chargers you have that are the same, the stronger or more rapid the repel will be. This is the opposite when the charges are not alike they attract more rapidly and strongly when more of the opposite charges you have. The outcome also depends on whether the puck is positively or negatively charged.
4. As you put charges onto the playing area, arrows