John Travoltage 8.0

John Travoltage is a single-mode physics simulation model. It was made in Java so you can play it in your Java-capable web browser, or download it and run it on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The simulation model deals with the concept of static electricity.

In this simulation, you see John Travolta standing on a carpet near a door. The door has a metal door knob. There are two parts of Travolta's body that you can move by dragging with your mouse: one of his legs and one of his arms. When you move the leg, Travolta's foot goes over the carpet, creating friction, which charges his body with static electricity. When you move his arm and make his finger touch the door knob, he will release all that electricity, thus completing the circuit. You can leave the hand still while he is touching the door knob and you will see how the charge (represented by small blue balls) goes from the ground to the door knob.

This is a very interesting, yet simple, simulation on static electricity. There are quite a few learning ideas and guides on the University's website that you can use to learn yourself or teach somebody.