Question

On a dry day, just after washing your hair to remove natural oils and drying it thoroughly, run a plastic comb through it. Small bits of paper will be attracted to the comb. Explain why.

Answer 1

When the surface of the comb rubs on your hair, the comb is electrically charged. When the comb comes close to the paper, the charge on the comb causes charge separation on the paper bits. Since paper is neutral, positive and negative charges are equivalent. The charge on the comb charges the area of the bit of paper nearest the comb to the opposite. Thus, the bits of paper become attracted to the comb.