Electric Charge

What happens when a charged object is placed near a neutral object?
What other interactions occur between charged objects?

All matter is made up of tiny particles which can have a positive charge or a negative charge. Electric forces are created when there are unbalanced electrical charges inside an object. An object that has more positive particles is positively charged. An object that has more negative particles is negatively charged.

When two objects with the same charge are close to one another, they repel each other. When two objects with different charges are close to one another, they attract each other.

Take a balloon and rub it through your hair. Slowly pull the balloon away from your head. What do you observe?

Rubbing the balloon through your hair created two opposite static charges. The charges attract one another and make your hair stand up.

Notice that your hair and the balloon do not need to be touching to affect each other. Electrical forces are non-contact forces and can act at a distance.