Amazing Levitating Orb Science Experiment

http://www.sciencebob.com has detailed instructions for making this static powered, levitating orb of your own. It only costs about 80 cents and takes 5 minutes to make. It also demonstrates the repelling forces of negative static charges - but you knew that.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• science
• experiment
• fun
• fly
• stick
• static
• how
• to
• levitate
• levitation
• bob
• Christmas
• tinsel
• fair
• ideas
• funflystick

[paintingstars]

Love, love, love this Bob!!!! Can't wait to have my daughter do this in homeschool!! You ROCK! I suspect you will be my new fave you tube channel--and plan to zippeedoo on over to you website! Thank you!

[ScienceBob]

@paintingstars Thanks! Have fun with the experiments. Let us know how they go.

[namenamename27]

Why is the pvc pipe required? Instead of the pvc, why not just use any object, like my hand or a branch? And what kind of elements is the tinsel made of? Could you make a larger more powerful presentation? Could you levitate a small plant in an orb safely and accessibly? Or levitate water?

[ScienceBob]

@namenamename27 The materials in PVC pipes attract and hold a static charge better than most other easily available materials (balloons work well for this experiment too) T static charge only has so much power and it is only able to repel very lightweight objects. I hope that helps.

[ScienceBob]

Hi sciencemagician. Chances are the Mylar you are using is too thick. See if you can find some Mylar that is thinner and give it another try. Let me know how it works out.

[GamesWorldTV]

1:37 epic face

[joetaesha1]

Cool

[LoveStory720]

i did it . it is real. thanks i vote for 1 point

[MadeInOregon27]

@ScienceBob

Awe man, I should have done this for the kids at the Christmas party tonight! :( Oh well, next year I will :) Thanks for the great video kind sir.

[killsome49]

@ScienceBob what about a dropllet of oil?Its a "Lightweight object",right?

[brandy082783]

@067messenger LOL thanks for the advise! Unfortunately, the school wouldn't accept the leaf blower idea for my daughters science project... HOWEVER we did figure out that there was dust in the pipe and it was keeping the pipe from holding the charge. Once we thoroughly washed and dried it, it worked wonderfully!

[067messenger]

@brandy082783

try to give the pipe more charge cause if the pipe has less charge than the tinsel it will attract the static field giving an electric discharge (geeky for me to say i know) and stick to the pipe. but if both the pipe and the tinsel have the same charge it will then repel the pipe and start floating. if that doesn't work, at least you can still use a leaf blower in a room full of tinsel then it'd be more fun!

[brandy082783]

We found the exact same tinsel, and got the right length of pipe, but whenever we try to do the experiment the tinsel just locks on to the pipe... it doesn't repel! What are we doing wrong!?

[biebsluvz]

COOL BEANS!

[Vicentitacos]

Hey MR. Sciencebob are you selling the PVC pipe too?? Cause I want to buy the Tinsel from u, but I was wondering if u wer selling the pipes???

[cheetomanwillpwn]

dang ur so asome i cant wait to do this ur so asome ill sub u plz acept ma freind request