Try This: Sort Salt and Pepper with Static Electricity

We love to share discovery experiences with the youngest of scientists! This activity is perfect for kids - it involves sorting, static electricity, and can be done only with supplies you have at home.

Here’s what you need:

• An empty dish
• Two tablespoons of table salt
• One teaspoon of black pepper
• A plastic comb

Here’s what to do:

1. Place two tablespoons of salt onto an empty plate.

2. Add one teaspoon of pepper to the salt and gently shake the plate to combine the salt and pepper.

3. Take a clean plastic comb and run it through your hair a few times. Hold the comb slightly above the salt and pepper and watch what happens.

What is happening:

When it’s run through your hair, the comb receives a static charge. The static charge attracts the grains of pepper, which are lighter than the grains of salt, and the pepper appears to hop up onto the comb!