43
Drop the tinsel onto the
pipe, releasing it before it
touches the pipe. It may
take a few tries, but it will
eventually pop into a ball
and float above the pipe. Keep
moving the pipe under the
tinsel so the ball stays in the air.3
SCIENCE
PART...
THE
Tiny particles called electrons
on both the pipe and tinsel are
repelling—or pushing away from—
each other.At the beginning of the trick, electrons on the cloth are
passed onto the pipe when you rub it. When the tinsel
touches the pipe, some of these electrons jump onto
the tinsel. Because electrons repel each other, the tinsel
pushes away from the pipe, while the electrons in the
individual strands also repel against each other to turn
the tinsel into a ball.Electrons
jump from
the pipe to
the tinsel.Hold the cloth
around the pipe.US_042-043_Hovering_tinsel.indd 43 12/09/2018 15:49