Why Do Neutral and Charged Objects Attract?

In summary, during an experiment where two aluminum foil balls were initially grounded and then one was charged while the other remained neutral, an attraction was observed between them. This is contrary to Coulomb's law, which states that there should be no attraction or repulsion if one ball is neutral. However, this can be explained by electrostatic induction, where the charged ball induces an opposite charge on the neutral ball resulting in attraction.
  • #1
Trollscience
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We were doing an experiment today and we had 2 aluminum foil balls hang next (but not touching) to each other. Both were initially grounded then we charged one of them while the other remained neutral. We observed an attraction between them but coulomb's law states that:

F = k(q1*q2/r^2). If one ball was neutral (zero charge) then it should result with no attraction nor repulsion. I realize that this experiment may have other influencing factors such as humidity but theoretically this assumption should be true right?
 
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  • #2
Do you know electrostatic induction?

This results in an opposite charge induced on the neutral ball, from the charged one, resulting in attraction.
 

FAQ: Why Do Neutral and Charged Objects Attract?

What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law of physics that describes the electrostatic interaction between two charged particles. It states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

What are the units of Coulomb's Law?

The units of Coulomb's Law are Newtons (N) for force, Coulombs (C) for charge, and meters (m) for distance.

How is Coulomb's Law used in real life?

Coulomb's Law is used in various applications, such as in the design of electronic devices, understanding of static electricity, and in the study of atomic and molecular structures.

What is the difference between Coulomb's Law and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation?

Coulomb's Law describes the force between two charged particles, while Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation describes the force between two masses. Coulomb's Law also involves an additional factor of the permittivity of the medium, while Newton's Law does not.

Can Coulomb's Law be applied to non-point charges?

No, Coulomb's Law is only applicable to point charges, which are idealized particles with no physical size. However, it can be used to approximate the force between non-point charges if they are small enough and far apart enough.

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