A student rubs a balloon on their hair and the balloon sticks to a wall. What best explains this?
AThe balloon and wall have the same charge.
BThe balloon becomes charged and induces a polarized region on the wall.
CThe wall exerts a gravitational pull on the balloon.
DThe balloon is now magnetized.
Explanation
📌 Rubbing transfers electrons to the balloon (giving it a negative charge). The charged balloon polarizes molecules in the wall (positive side toward the balloon), producing an attractive force. Distractor A: like charges repel, not attract; C: gravity is negligible at these scales; D: magnetism and static electricity are different phenomena.