Gillian is investigating the distribution of charge in objects using friction. Gillian gently rubs a rubber balloon on the fur of her pet cat. When she pulls the balloon away from the cat's fur, the fur is attracted to the balloon. Which BEST explains why the fur becomes attracted to the balloon?

Question

a
Rubbing the balloon along the cat creates extra protons that will stick to both the balloon and cat.
b
Rubbing the balloon along the cat creates extra electrons that will stick to both the balloon and cat.
c
Rubbing the balloon along the cat transfers extra electrons from the cat to the balloon.
d
Rubbing the balloon along the cat transfers extra protons from the balloon to the cat.

Answer 1

The best explanation for why the cat's fur becomes attracted to the balloon is:

c. Rubbing the balloon along the cat transfers extra electrons from the cat to the balloon.

When Gillian rubs the balloon on the cat's fur, electrons are transferred from the fur to the balloon, giving the balloon a negative charge. The fur, having lost some electrons, becomes positively charged. Opposite charges attract, which is why the fur is attracted to the negatively charged balloon.