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Sam blew up a balloon and rubbed it on his head. Then he stuck the balloon on the wall. This was all the result of electrostatics or the transfer of charge. The appearance of negative charge on a balloon is the result of its gaining electrons. And these electrons must come from somewhere; in this case, from Sam's hair. Electrons are transferred in any charging process. In the case of charging by friction, they are transferred between the two objects being rubbed together. Prior to the charging, both objects are electrically neutral and the situation obeys the law of conservation of charge. How does the law of conservation of charge explain Sam and his balloon?

A) Friction creates a charge that collected on the balloon.
B) The balloon gained electrons; Sam's hair gained protons.
C) If the balloon acquires charge, Sam's hair loses charge.
D) The net charge before is zero; the net charge after is negative.

User Xrnd
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2 Answers

3 votes

Final answer:

The correct answer is C) 'If the balloon acquires charge, Sam's hair loses charge.' This adheres to the law of conservation of charge which states that charge is neither created nor destroyed, but transferred, resulting in a negatively charged balloon and positively charged hair after rubbing the two together.

Step-by-step explanation:

The law of conservation of charge states that electric charge is neither created nor destroyed. When Sam rubbed the balloon against his hair, some electrons were transferred from his hair to the balloon due to friction. This meant that the balloon gained excess electrons and became negatively charged, while Sam's hair lost electrons and became positively charged to a corresponding degree. As a result, the balloon was attracted to the neutrally charged wall due to induced polarization.

Option C) “If the balloon acquires charge, Sam's hair loses charge.” is the correct answer. This accounts for the law of conservation of charge during the process. Sam's hair and the balloon were both electrically neutral before charging. After charging, the balloon had a net negative charge, while Sam's hair had an equivalent net positive charge, keeping the overall charge conserved.

User StrongYoung
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5 votes

Answer:

If the balloon acquires charge, Sam's hair loses charge.

Step-by-step explanation:

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User Angel Yordanov
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