Where Charge Comes From

You'll learnwhere charge comes from when you rub something, what grounding really does, and why a charged rod picks up paper scraps that carry no charge at all.

Rub a plastic rod with wool and the rod comes away charged. Did the rubbing make that charge, and how can the rod then pull on a scrap of paper that is completely neutral? Ten short steps; press Next for each one.

10 STEPS · 6 QUICK CHECKS · TRANSFER NOT CREATION · GROUNDING · POLARIZATION · v2

every transfer drawn from both ends · the total never moves

Before you start

What you're looking at

Two bodies with their internal charge drawn as small plus and minus marks. When one gains charge, you will see the marks arrive from somewhere else.

The question

Where does charge come from when you rub something, and how does a rod pull on a neutral scrap?

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