To complete the steps for the investigation you provided and determine how to induce a charge on an insulator (like a balloon) and its effect on another object (in this case, flowing water), we should consider what logical steps come before and after the ones given.
Here’s a suggestion for the missing steps:
Step 1: Inflate the balloon and rub it with a cloth or your hair to induce static electricity.
Step 4: The water stream bends towards the balloon, indicating that the balloon (which is negatively charged after being rubbed) is attracting the positively charged ends of the polar water molecules.
Step 5: Discuss the observations and explain that charging by friction creates an imbalance of charges on the balloon, which induces a charge in the neutral water, causing it to be attracted to the negatively charged balloon.
The complete sequence of the investigation might look like this:
- Inflate the balloon and rub it with a cloth to induce static electricity.
- A student turned on the faucet to have flowing water.
- A student brought the balloon close to (but not touching) the flowing water.
- Observe and record the effects of the balloon and the water (noting that the water stream bends towards the balloon).
- Discuss and explain the findings about charge distribution and the attraction of the water to the charged balloon.
This sequence logically demonstrates the principles of static electricity and how it interacts with neutral objects like the water stream.