Question
Why does a balloon stick to a wall after being rubbed against hair?
Answers
GPT-4o mini
When a balloon is rubbed against your hair, it becomes charged through a process called triboelectric charging. In simple terms, this process involves the transfer of electrons between the two materials (the balloon and your hair). When the balloon is rubbed against your hair, it tends to gain electrons, making it negatively charged, while your hair loses electrons and becomes positively charged.
The charged balloon can then attract neutral objects, such as the wall, due to electrostatic forces. The neutral wall has positive and negative charges distributed throughout, and the proximity of the negatively charged balloon can induce a separation of charges within the wall material. This phenomenon is called electrostatic induction. As a result, the wall's surface closest to the balloon becomes positively charged, creating an attractive force between the negatively charged balloon and the induced positive charges on the wall.
The force of attraction is strong enough to hold the balloon against the wall for a period of time until the charges dissipate, either through air (very slowly) or through contact with another object that allows the charges to neutralize. This is why you can see a balloon sticking to a wall after it's been rubbed against hair!
The charged balloon can then attract neutral objects, such as the wall, due to electrostatic forces. The neutral wall has positive and negative charges distributed throughout, and the proximity of the negatively charged balloon can induce a separation of charges within the wall material. This phenomenon is called electrostatic induction. As a result, the wall's surface closest to the balloon becomes positively charged, creating an attractive force between the negatively charged balloon and the induced positive charges on the wall.
The force of attraction is strong enough to hold the balloon against the wall for a period of time until the charges dissipate, either through air (very slowly) or through contact with another object that allows the charges to neutralize. This is why you can see a balloon sticking to a wall after it's been rubbed against hair!