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# 1-1 Friction and Electric Charge Attracting Uncharged Objects It is known that friction causes electrical charging. A charged object can attract uncharged objects. This is because electrons move from one object to another. These electrons are part of each atom and carry a negative charge. Si...

# 1-1 Friction and Electric Charge Attracting Uncharged Objects It is known that friction causes electrical charging. A charged object can attract uncharged objects. This is because electrons move from one object to another. These electrons are part of each atom and carry a negative charge. Since these electrons are relatively loosely bound to the atom, they can be easily removed by friction. This is similar to a balloon sticking to a wall (Figure 1-2). The charged balloon is attracted to the uncharged wall. How does this happen? The charged object (balloon) is attracted to an uncharged object (wall). The charged object has either a positive charge or a negative charge. A neutral object has an equal number of positive and negative charges. The wall is neutral, but its atoms consist of positive and negative charges (Figure 1-2a). When the balloon approaches the wall, the negative charges in the wall move away from the negatively charged balloon (Figure 1-2b). They don't move very far, but the effect is enough to give the wall a positive charge, which attracts the negative balloon (Figure 1-2c). **Neutral Object:** An object with an equal number of positive and negative charges. **Questions** * 1-4 Draw a diagram showing how a negatively charged plastic rod can attract an uncharged piece of paper. * 1-5 a. Is the charge of an electron positive or negative? b. Do two electrons attract or repel each other? **Figure 1-2** **(a)** The wall is electrically neutral because it has an equal number of positive and negative charges. **(b)** The negative charges in the wall repel the charges in the balloon causing them to move away. **(c)** The negative balloon sticks to the positive surface of the wall.