Electric charge: conduction, induction, and polarization

Objects become charged when electrons move from one to another; charge is conserved, never created or destroyed, only transferred. Like charges repel and opposite charges attract. Rubbing a balloon on hair transfers electrons to the balloon, leaving the balloon negatively charged and the hair positively charged. In charging by conduction, touching a charged object to a neutral conductor lets charge flow onto it, giving it the same sign of charge. In charging by induction, a charged object brought near a conductor, without touching, pushes that conductor's electrons to one side; grounding the conductor and then removing the ground leaves it with the opposite charge. In polarization, charges inside a neutral object shift slightly so one side is a bit positive and the other a bit negative, which is why a charged balloon sticks to a neutral wall. An electroscope's leaves spread apart when charged because like charges repel.

This explanation is AI-generated and can occasionally be wrong. 🚩 Report