STUDENT ACTIVITY GUIDE

How do bees pick up pollen in flowers?

The challenge
If you’ve ever observed a bee up close, you may have
noticed that she was hairy! You may have also seen
tiny yellow pollen grains stuck to her hairs. Bees are
essential pollinators who make it possible for us to
have fruits such as berries, apples, tomatoes, and
cucumbers.

Pollen sticks to a bee when she lands in a flower to

drink sweet nectar. Then, when she lands in another
flower, some of the pollen grains drop off. This can
pollinate the flower, allowing the plant to produce
fruit. But how do bees pick up pollen in the first place?
In this activity, you’ll use tape, balloons, and your
knowledge of forces and fields to develop a comic strip
model of this phenomenon.

By the end of this activity, I will be able to…

● describe the factors that affect the strength and direction of electric forces.
● map the electric field around a charged object.
● connect science ideas to develop a creative model.

Setting the stage

Remember that a force is a push or a pull. One type of force is the electric force.

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 ● The electric force acts on objects with an overall electric charge. There are two
types of charge: _________________________________ and __________________________________.
● If an object does not have a net electric charge, it is called ___________________________.

An object which is holding a net charge is said to have static charge or static electricity.
Describe an instance when you felt or observed static electricity. How do you think the
charge built up in this case?

Unlike gravity which always attracts objects together, the electric force can attract or
repel charged objects. The rule that describes the direction of electric forces is likes repel
and opposites attract.

● A positively charged object will ___________________________________ another positively

charged object.
● A negatively charged object will ___________________________________ another
negatively charged object.
● A positively charged object will ___________________________________ a negatively
charged object.

Charged objects can attract and repel each other without touching, which makes the
electric force a ___________________________________ force. The electric force acts through
invisible electric ___________________________________ which surround all objects with charge.

Now that you’re familiar with the fundamentals of static electricity, let's use tape and
balloons to further explore the electric force. Prepare for some positively shocking
results!

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Let’s get started!
Materials

● Four 10 cm (4 in) strips of transparent tape

● Permanent marker
● Ruler (or another type of stick) with a piece of lightweight string taped to the end
● Balloon
● Fabric (fleece, wool, or polyester works best–can use clothes or a blanket)

Investigation (Part 1)

Follow these instructions carefully to make charged tape pieces:

1. Fold the short end of one of the tape pieces over so it sticks to itself, creating a
roughly 1 cm tab that you can hold.
2. Press the remaining sticky portion of the tape piece onto a table surface.
3. Using a second piece of tape, fold the short end over to give it a tab. Then, press the
sticky side of the tape down directly on top of the first piece of tape so they are
overlapping on the table. Their tabs should be on top of each other.
4. Using the permanent marker, label the tab of the bottom piece “B” for bottom and the
tab of the top piece “T” for top.
5. Holding both tabs together, pull the overlapped tape off the table in one piece.
6. Now, hold the two tabs in different hands and quickly pull the tapes apart. Try to not
let them touch each other or anything else after they're separated.
7. While one team member holds the prepared top and bottom pieces, another group
member creates a second set of T and B tapes by repeating the process above.
8. Your group should now have four prepared tape pieces, two T’s and two B’s. Slowly
bring the tape pieces together in different combinations, recording your observations
in the table below.
● Tip: If your tape pieces seem to lose their charge, just press the bottom tape on the
table, press the top tape on top of it, and remove like you did the first time.

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 Draw force arrows to
Are the tapes like-charged
Tape combination Attract or repel? represent the electric
or oppositely-charged?
force directions

T and T

B and B

T and B

Follow-up questions (Part 1)

1. Can you determine from your investigation which tape pieces are positively
charged and which are negatively charged? Explain.

2. How did the strength of the electric force acting between pieces of tape change as
you moved the tapes farther away from each other? How could you tell?

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 3. Once you’ve collected your data, touch the sticky parts of the tapes with your
fingers a few times and bring the tapes near each other again. Based on your
observations, what must have happened when you touched the tape pieces?

Investigation (Part 2)

Even though electric fields are invisible, we can map them using a piece of string!
1. Make sure your hands are as dry as possible. Remove any water from your desk.
2. Using a piece of fabric, rub the surface of a balloon until it has acquired noticeable
static electricity.
● Tip: Bring the balloon near your arm or your hair to sense how much static charge
is present.
● Tip: Avoid touching the balloon surface after you’ve charged it. Hold the balloon
by the knot only.
3. Bring the stick with a string attached near the balloon without touching it. Observe
how the string behaves–it is a pointer which shows the direction of the electric
field at all points around the charged balloon.
4. Move the pointer to different positions around the balloon. As you map the electric
field with the string, draw arrows to represent the field on the diagram below.
● To match the convention used by scientists, draw your field arrows pointing
towards the balloon.
● Tip: If it seems like the balloon has lost most of its static charge, rub it with the
fabric to recharge.

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Follow-up questions (Part 2)

1. What patterns did you notice in the shape of the electric field around the balloon?

2. How did the strength of the electric field change as the balloon lost its charge?

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 3. How did the strength of the electric field change as you moved the string farther
from the balloon?

Let’s get creative!

As bees fly through the air, they acquire a positive net charge. Additionally, scientists have
discovered that many flowers (and the pollen grains inside them) have a negative net
charge. After a bee visits a flower, the electric field of the flower weakens temporarily to
signal to other bees that the flower has recently been visited.

Create a comic strip showing how electric forces and fields help bees pollinate flowers.
Use visual models to represent the forces and fields present. Your comic strip should be
informative and attention-grabbing!

Keep creating!
Below are some ideas of how you can use your creativity and your understanding of
electric forces and fields to generate some new ideas and solutions.

● People with long hair may find that when they comb their hair or put on a shirt on a
dry day, their hair gets “staticy” and stands on end. What does this tell us about the
type of charge on the different hairs? (Do they have like charge or opposite
charge?). Use your knowledge of electric forces to make a poster for a hair salon
explaining why hair with static charge stands out. Use Adobe Photoshop or
markers and paper to make your poster.

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 ● If you rub a balloon to charge it and then bring it near a narrow stream of water
from a faucet, you should see the water stream respond at a distance (try it!).
Water’s electrical properties are related to a molecular feature called polarity. Do
some research to determine what it means that H2O is a polar molecule. Use your
findings to develop an explanation for why the stream of water is attracted to a
charged balloon. Use Adobe InDesign or markers and paper to summarize your
findings in a brochure for kids.

● Lightning results from a large buildup of static charge between clouds and the
ground. Do some research to discover how charge builds up during a thunderstorm.
Then, use Adobe Premier Rush to create a presentation for a local weather station
explaining the cause of lighting and tips for staying safe during a thunderstorm.

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