Final answer:
When the forces between electric charges diminish with distance, a charged balloon will not cling to an electrically neutral wall.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a balloon is rubbed against a sweater, it becomes negatively charged. The sweater, being neutrally charged, has an equal number of positive and negative charges. The negatively charged balloon is attracted to the positive charges in the sweater, causing it to stick.
If the forces between electric charges didn't diminish with distance, the electrically charged balloon would continue to be attracted to the positive charges in the wall. This would cause the balloon to cling to the wall, just like it clings to the sweater.
However, the forces between electric charges actually decrease with distance. As the balloon moves away from the sweater or the wall, the attractive force weakens. Eventually, the force becomes too weak to hold the balloon in place, and it falls off.