Question

 Bobby hangs two inflated balloons from 2-meter strings so that they touch. He then holds the balloons apart and rubs each balloon 5 times with animal fur. He then releases the balloons. The balloons now hang a small distance apart from one another:The next step in Bobby's procedure is to touch the balloons with a metal rod and allow them to settle, and then to rub them 10 times with animal fur. Which result should he expect, and why?(1 point)ResponsesThe balloons will hang at the same elevation, because electrical repulsion is an unvarying phenomenon which results from the existence of charge and not its quantity.The balloons will hang at the same elevation, because electrical repulsion is an unvarying phenomenon which results from the existence of charge and not its quantity.The balloons will hang at a greater elevation, because they will have greater charges so the force of electrical repulsion between them will be greater.The balloons will hang at a greater elevation, because they will have greater charges so the force of electrical repulsion between them will be greater.The balloons will hang at a smaller elevation, because more thoroughly rubbing them will more completely remove their charges, reducing the electrical repulsion between them.The balloons will hang at a smaller elevation, because more thoroughly rubbing them will more completely remove their charges, reducing the electrical repulsion between them.The balloons will hang straight down or more closely together, because a larger number of rubs with fur will give them opposite rather than like electrical chargesThe balloons will hang straight down or more closely together, because a larger number of rubs with fur will give them opposite rather than like electrical charges

Answer 1

The correct response is: The balloons will hang at a greater elevation, because they will have greater charges so the force of electrical repulsion between them will be greater.

Here’s the reasoning behind this answer:

1. Initial Rubbing: When Bobby rubs the balloons with animal fur, they acquire like electrical charges (both negative or both positive, depending on the material properties).

2. Electrical Repulsion: Like charges repel each other, which is why the balloons are initially hanging apart after being rubbed and released.

3. Touching with a Metal Rod: When he touches the balloons with a metal rod, if he allows them to settle, the metal rod (which can act as a grounding or neutralizing element) may remove some charge from the balloons or equalize it if they become grounded momentarily.

4. Further Rubbing: By rubbing the balloons with animal fur 10 more times, they will gain even more charge of the same type (either both positive or both negative). This means both balloons now have a greater amount of the same charge.

5. Result: Therefore, the force of electrical repulsion between the two balloons increases due to the greater charges. As a result, the balloons will hang at a greater elevation from each other because of this increased repulsion.

Hence, the correct expectation is that they will hang at a greater elevation after being rubbed again.