Final answer:
The inventor's clothes fly off due to electrostatic repulsion between like charges, which are the negative charges accumulated both on the inventor and his clothes. This is a result of static electricity principles and possibly electrostatic induction.
Step-by-step explanation:
The incident with the eccentric inventor's clothes flying off can be explained by electrostatic repulsion. When a large negative charge accumulates on the inventor, his clothes, which are likely made of different materials, could obtain a similar charge due to friction or conduction. Since like charges repel, the clothes, which now have the same type of charge as the inventor, are repelled away from his body. This phenomenon is all about the repulsion between charges, which is a fundamental concept in the study of static electricity and electrostatics.
Another explanation for this occurrence could involve electrostatic induction, where the negative charge on the inventor induces a positive charge on the surface of his clothes facing him and a negative charge on the outer surface. If somehow, the negative charge on the outer surface were to be quickly neutralized or transferred away—for example, to the surrounding air—then the remaining positive charge on the clothing material would be repelled by the inventor's negative charge, causing the clothes to fly off.