Why do balloons stick after rubbing?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Static electricity builds up
Static electricity builds up ✓ — Correct! Rubbing transfers electrons from your hair to balloon (triboelectric effect). Balloon becomes negatively charged, hair positively charged. Charged balloon attracts neutral objects (like wall) through polarization—balloon's negative charge repels electrons in wall, leaving positive charges near surface. Opposite charges attract! This is static electricity. Works best in dry conditions (humidity allows charges to dissipate). Hair stands up—like charges repel!
Friction creates adhesive — Wrong. Friction doesn't create adhesive. It transfers electrons, creating static electric charge that attracts balloon to surfaces through polarization.
Air pressure changes — Wrong. Air pressure inside balloon doesn't change from rubbing. Static electricity (electron transfer) causes attraction to walls and other surfaces.
More Physics in Daily Life questions
- In a warm office that already reads 26 C, which change can make people feel cooler without lowering the thermostat?
- Why might 26 C feel acceptable in a breezy naturally ventilated summer building but too warm in a sealed winter office?
- On a warm humid day, why can the same 27 C room feel much worse once you start sweating?
- Why can moving air make a 27 C room feel cooler without changing the thermometer?
- Which hidden factor can make a desk beside a cold window feel chilly even when the thermostat across the room still reads 22 C?
- In the same 22 C room, why might someone who just climbed stairs feel warm while someone sitting in a T-shirt feels chilly?