How to do it
5 steps. Tap one when it's done.
Keep the balloon close to the thin stream without touching the water.
All experimentsRub, hold, and watch the stream lean over
Bend Water with a Balloon
Rub a balloon on your hair, hold it beside a thin stream of tap water, and the water bends toward it without touching. Two minutes, zero mess, and it works every time the air is dry.
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Time5 min
You getone bent stream of water
DifficultyEasyBarely a mess
SectionLearning
This one is all yours
Nothing sharp, nothing hot, nowhere far. Tell someone what you're up to, then go ahead and do it on your own.
Why that works
Rubbing scrapes tiny charged bits called electrons off your hair and onto the balloon, so the balloon ends up with extra negative charge. Water molecules have a slightly positive end, and that end swings round to face the balloon and gets pulled. Opposites attract, and the whole stream leans.