Q&A for How to Bend Water with Static Electricity

Return to Full Article

Coming soon

Add New Question

Question

Does the salinity of the water have any effect on how well it bends?

Bess Ruff, MA
Environmental Scientist
Bess Ruff is a Geography PhD student at Florida State University. She received her MA in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2016. She has conducted survey work for marine spatial planning projects in the Caribbean and provided research support as a graduate fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group.

Bess Ruff, MA

Environmental Scientist

Expert Answer

This is a great question. Try the experiment again using salt water instead of fresh water and see if there is a change.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 13 Helpful 14
Question

How do I charge an object?

Community Answer

You can charge an object by rubbing it against any piece of cloth, as it induces a charge in it, or you can charge a substance by passing electricity through it.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 9
Question

Why does the water bend because of static energy?

Community Answer

The water contains positive and negative charges, but those are not all in the same place, they are spread across the whole stream of water. So when you move a charged object towards the water, the object will attract the particles of one charge, and repulse particles of the other charge.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 4 Helpful 5
Question

Why does a plastic comb work better than a metal comb at "bending" water?

Community Answer

It has to do with the number of electrons in the valence shells of the materials. Plastic has too few; metals have too many.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 9 Helpful 5
Question

Will a charged plastic pen have an effect on a small trickle of water?

Community Answer

No, as water is neutral it does not attain any charge even if a charged particle or a substance is brought near it.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 17 Helpful 4