Mrs. Adams' class decides to try an experiment. She rubs a blown up balloon on Sandy's head. After this, she takes the balloon a
nd places it on the side of the wall, where it sticks, instead of falling to the ground. Also, Sandy's hair is now sticking almost straight out. What is the reason the balloon is now sticking to the wall? A) The balloon has a static electric charge from rubbing Sandy's hair. B) The wall has been electrically charged and so attracts the balloon. C) The balloon lost its static electric charge by rubbing Sandy's hair. D) The balloon would have stuck to the wall whether or not it was rubbed on Sandy's hair.
The correct answer is A. The balloon has a static electric charge from rubbing Sandy's hair.
Explanation:
In physics, the static electricity occurs as one surface or element is charged due to contact or friction, which leads to an imbalance in charges. In the case presented, the ballon and Sandy's hair have static electricity because they have been rubbed with each other. This also means, the electrical charges in both had changed and this makes the balloon be negatively charged and the hair positively charged or vice-versa which causes each of these objectes to stick to certain surfaces and to repel others. According to this, the reason the ballon is now sticking to the wall is "The balloon has a static electric charge from rubbing Sandy's hair".
