A balloon and a section of a wall both have neutral charges, as shown below. A student rubs his hair on the balloon, giving it a negative charge. How will the charges be arranged in the wall when it is placed near the negatively charged balloon ?

Answer 1

When the negatively charged balloon is brought near the neutral wall, it will induce a separation of charges within the wall. Since the balloon has a negative charge, it will repel the electrons in the wall, causing them to move away from the side of the wall nearest to the balloon. As a result, this side of the wall will acquire a positive charge due to the deficit of electrons.

The side of the wall that is farther from the balloon will have a slightly higher concentration of electrons, making it negatively charged. However, this negative charge will be less pronounced compared to the positive charge on the side that is closer to the balloon.

In summary, when the negatively charged balloon is placed near the neutral wall, the wall will experience a charge polarization, with the side nearest to the balloon becoming positively charged and the side farther away becoming negatively charged.