Question

Isabella is researching how to charge objects through friction. isabella rubs a balloon on her hair. when she pulls the balloon away from her hair, the hair is attracted to the balloon. which best explains why the hair becomes attracted to the balloon?

A. Rubbing the balloon along the cat transfers extra protons from the balloon to the cat.
B. Rubbing the balloon along the cat transfers extra electrons from the cat to the balloon.
C. Rubbing the balloon along the cat creates extra protons that will stick to both the balloon and cat.
D. Rubbing the balloon along the cat creates extra electrons that will stick to both the balloon and cat.

Answer 1

B. Rubbing a balloon on hair causes electrons to transfer from the hair to the balloon, creating a negative charge on the balloon and a positive charge on the hair; hence, the hair is attracted to the balloon due to static electricity.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Isabella rubs a balloon on her hair and the hair is attracted to the balloon, it's a result of static electricity. This happens because rubbing the balloon through her hair transfers extra electrons from her hair to the balloon. After rubbing, the balloon becomes negatively charged and the hair becomes positively charged. Since opposite charges attract, the positively charged hair strands are attracted to the negatively charged balloon.

This principle is demonstrated in various experiments and simulations, such as the PhET Interactive Simulation which shows how static electricity causes attraction and repulsion between objects. Creating static electricity through friction is an interesting phenomenon of physics that we encounter in many everyday situations.