In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we are celebrating AAPI scientists and their contributions throughout history! Check out their bios & some fun science experiments to learn more about their work!
Chien-Shiung Wu: Experimental Physicist
Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist. She was even nicknamed the “First Lady of Physics!” She was born in the Jiangsu province, China and was supported by two parents who encouraged women’s equality in education. She obtained degrees in China at National Central University and in the U.S. at University of California, Berkeley. She worked at Columbia for most of her career and made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. She is most well known for the Wu experiment, where her discoveries ultimately led to a Nobel Prize for her colleagues, though her work was not acknowledged. She also worked on the Manhattan Project!
“I believe that women’s commitment in science and technology is natural, healthy and promising.”
Atoms & Their Charges
Materials:
Balloon (small enough to hold with one hand), paper, paper hole punch
Time Estimated:
10 minutes
Directions:
Using the paper hole punch, create 20-30 small paper circles and place them on a flat surface.
Blow up the balloon and tie it off. Then, rub it on a clean, dry head of hair.
Place the balloon close to the paper circles without touching them. The paper circles should jump up to the balloon!
If they do not, rub the balloon on your hair again and repeat.
Think Like A Scientist!
What would happen if you changed the amount of water in the canister? Test it out!
What would happen if you changed the amount of Alka Seltzer in the canister?
What would happen if you used a bigger canister? Would the rocket still launch?
How Does it Work?
Atoms are usually electrically neutral, since they are made up of an equal amount of charged particles called protons (positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged). When one atom has a negative charge and it comes into contact with a positively charged atom, those atoms are attracted to each other, like a magnet! When you rubbed the balloon on your hair, the balloon picked up electrons from the hair, and the atoms of the balloon became negatively charged. The positively charged atoms in the paper were then attracted to the negatively charged atoms in the balloon, and when they got close enough to each other, the paper jumped towards the balloon! Dr. Wu studied atoms and atomic particles to learn more about them and how we interact with them in the real world.
Looking for more fun at-home STEM activities for your young scientist? Check out our workbook full of exciting science experiments and empowering activities!
