======Homemade Lightning with a Pie Pan======


<WRAP right box>
**Materials: **{{$demo.materials_description}}\\
**Difficulty: **{{$demo.difficulty_description}}\\
**Safety: **{{$demo.safety_description}}\\
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**Categories:** {{$demo.categories}}
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**Alternative titles:** Tamed Lightning
</WRAP>

====Summary====                   
{{$demo.summary}}



====Procedure====  
  - Gather materials: a polystyrene (styrofoam) food box, an aluminum pie pan, a wool sock or piece of wool fabric, scissors, and tape.  
  - Cut a strip of polystyrene from one half of the food box and tape it upright to the center of the aluminum pie pan to serve as a handle.  
  - Tape the remaining half of the polystyrene box flat-side up onto a table.  
  - Rub the wool sock vigorously on the flat surface of the polystyrene for about 30 seconds without touching it with your hands.  
  - Place the aluminum pie pan on top of the charged polystyrene using only the polystyrene handle.  
  - Turn off the lights. Bring your finger close (about 0.5 cm or ¼ inch) to the pie pan—you should see or feel a small spark.  
  - Lift the pie pan by the handle, bring your finger near again, and repeat. Recharge the polystyrene by rubbing it again when the sparks stop.



====Links==== 
Try This: Make Lightning at Home - sciencemuseumok: 
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Tamed lightning - The Experiment Archive: 
{{youtube>pSK8dE6dpU4?}}\\

📄 Tamed lightning - The Experiment Archive: [[https://www.experimentarchive.com/experiments/tamed-lightning/]]\\


====Variations====
  * Replace the aluminum pan with other materials (plastic, paper, or foil) to test conductivity.  
  * Try substituting the polystyrene with plastic, cardboard, or glass.  
  * Use different fabrics (cotton, silk, polyester) instead of wool to see which produces the strongest charge.  
  * For a simpler version, rub a balloon on your hair and bring it near a metal object in the dark to see sparks.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Perform the experiment away from flammable materials.  
  * Do not perform near electronics or sensitive devices.
  * Conduct in a dry environment for best results but avoid static buildup near liquids.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why does rubbing the wool against the polystyrene create static electricity? (Electrons transfer from the wool to the polystyrene, giving it a negative charge.)  
  * Why does a spark appear when you move your finger close to the aluminum pan? (The difference in charge causes electrons to jump through the air, creating a mini lightning bolt.)  
  * What happens when you lift the aluminum pan from the polystyrene? (The pan regains electrons from your finger because the polystyrene’s influence is removed.)  
  * How is this similar to real lightning in a thunderstorm? (Both occur when charge differences between clouds and the ground are neutralized by a flow of electrons through the air.)  
  * Which materials produce the strongest static charge? (Typically, wool and polystyrene are good combinations because they transfer electrons effectively.)