Question

When a glass rod is rubbed with a piece of vinyl, the glass becomes positively charged. This occurs because: Select one:

a. electrons are transferred from the glass to the vinyl.
b. protons are transferred from the vinyl to the glass.
c. electrons in the glass are annihilated by the protons in the vinyl.
d. electrons are transferred from the vinyl to the glass.
e. protons are transferred from the glass to the vinyl.

Answer 1

The glass rod becomes positively charged when rubbed with a piece of vinyl due to the transfer of electrons from the glass to the vinyl, a process known as charging by friction in physics.

Step-by-step explanation:

This occurs because electrons are transferred from the glass to the vinyl. In physics, this process is known as charging by friction, where electrons, which are the negatively charged particles, are stripped away from one material and transferred to another, leading to a positive charge buildup on the material losing electrons, in this case, the glass rod.

It is important to note that in such triboelectric processes, only electrons, which are mobile charge carriers, are transferred between materials. Protons, which reside within the atomic nucleus, do not transfer between materials during frictional charging. Thus, the correct answer to the question is: a. electrons are transferred from the glass to the vinyl.