A student claims that invisible fields exist between objects that are not in contact.

Question

Which of the arguments best support her claim?

A.
A ball rolls more slowly on a bumpy road than on a smooth road.

B.
A light bulb becomes lit when a switch is flipped to close a circuit.

C.
A magnet attracts a paper clip causing it to move toward the magnet.

D.
The bottom of a box becomes warm after being pulled across a carpet.

E.
Two positively charged ballons repel each other when they are brought close together.

F.
A block with a smaller mass travels farther than a block with a larger mass given the same push.

Answer 1

The argument that best supports the student's claim that invisible fields exist between objects that are not in contact is:

E. Two positively charged balloons repel each other when they are brought close together.

This observation can be explained by the concept of electric fields, which are invisible fields that exert forces on charged objects without the need for direct contact. The repulsion between the similarly charged balloons indicates the presence of an electric field acting at a distance.