After combing your hair with a plastic comb, you find that...

Name: Problem 8, Chapter 16: College Physics
Uploaded: 2021-11-27T18:46:08-08:00
Duration: 1 min 26 s
Channel: Keshav Singh
Description: After combing your hair with a plastic comb, you find that when you bring the comb near an empty aluminum soft-drink can that is lying on its side on a nonconducting tabletop, the can rolls toward the comb. After being touched by the comb, the can is still attracted by the comb. Explain these observations.

After combing your hair with a plastic comb, you find that when you bring the comb near an empty aluminum soft-drink can that is lying on its side on a nonconducting tabletop, the can rolls toward the comb. After being touched by the comb, the can is still attracted by the comb. Explain these observations.

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Key Concepts

Triboelectric Effect

This concept explains how friction between two different materials can cause electrons to transfer from one material to the other, leaving one object positively charged and the other negatively charged. It is key to understanding how everyday activities like combing hair with a plastic comb can generate static electricity.

Static Electricity

Static electricity refers to the buildup of electric charge on the surface of objects, which occurs when there is an imbalance of positive and negative charges. This holds the answer for why the charged comb is able to exert a noticeable force on nearby objects, such as the aluminum can.

Electrostatic Induction

Electrostatic induction is the process by which a charged object can cause the redistribution of charges within a nearby neutral conductor. When the charged comb is brought close to the can, it induces a separation of charges in the can, with opposite charges accumulating closer to the comb, resulting in an attractive force.

Polarization

Polarization is the phenomenon in which the positive and negative charges within a neutral object slightly separate due to the presence of an external electric field. This induced dipole moment in the aluminum can explains why the can is attracted to the charged comb despite being electrically neutral overall.

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