Energy Ball Questions #1-12

1. Can you make the energy ball work? What do you think makes the ball flash and hum?

   Yes, you can make the energy ball work by simply placing both fingers on both the metal strips.  Our fingers are conducting a current of electrons through our body into the energy ball.

2. Why do you have to touch both metal contacts to make the ball work?

   By touching both metal contacts, we are creating a complete circuit for the electric current to flow through. If we only touched one of the contacts, there would not be a complete circuit which would mean the current could not continuously flow in and out of two terminals. 

3. Will the ball light up if you connect the contacts with any material?

    No, the ball will only light up if you connect the contacts with conductors.  For instance, metallic objects and the human touch would both work, but objects such as wood or rubber would not. 

4. Which materials will make the energy ball work? Test your hypothesis.


    Any materials that can conduct electricity fairly well will work. We tested this hypothesis by using the metal strips on the caps of our pens.  In this case, we needed to touch the both the metal strips on the caps with our fingers (providing a complete circuit), before touching the metal contacts on the energy balls. We believed that this test proved our hypothesis correct.


5. This ball does not work on certain individuals - what could cause this to happen?

    If the individual has a non-conductor between the metal contacts and their skin. Or if the individual is dead, and their body is not producing the electric signals that every living human should be producing.  

6. Can you make the energy ball work with all 5 - 6 individuals in your group? Will it work with the entire class? 

    Yes, we were able to make it work with all 5 individuals in our group. We had two separate people each touch a metal strip and formed a 5-person series circuit that joined the two people.  In order for the energy ball to work, everybody had to be touching the people beside them to form a complete circuit.  Based on this idea, it will indeed work with the entire class as long as everybody is touching in some way.    

7. What kind of a circuit can you form with one ball?

     We would form a series circuit that has a direct current.  


8. Given 2 balls (combine 2 groups): Can you create a circuit where both balls light up? [1/3]


      Yes, we were able to create both a series circuit and parallel circuit where both balls lit up.


9. What do you think will happen if one person lets go of another person's hand and why? [2/3]

     If the circuit is a series circuit, than both balls would go out no matter who breaks the complete circuit.  However, if the circuit is a parallel circuit,  depending on who lets go, only one ball will go out and one ball will stay lit.

10. Does it matter who lets go? Try it. [3/3]

     In a series circuit, it does not matter who lets go, both energy balls will stop working.  This is because both energy balls are connected in one continuous circuit, where there is only one path for the current to flow in. Therefore, if that one path is broken even by one person, than the current cannot flow to either balls.
     However, in a parallel circuit, it does matter who lets go.  This is because there is multiple paths for the current to take.  If one person breaks the circuit, the current can still reach one energy ball depending on where the circuit is not complete.  

11. Can you create a circuit where only one ball lights (both balls must be included in the circuit)? [1/2]

    Yes, you can do this using a parallel circuit.  However, one of the paths in the parallel circuit must be broken or not completed.  

12. What is the minimum number of people required to complete this? [2/2] 

     There needs to be a minimum of four people.