Why do balloons stick to walls but not paper when charged?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of why a charged balloon sticks to a wall but does not exhibit the same behavior when near small bits of paper, particularly in the context of static versus current electricity. Participants explore concepts related to charge imbalance, electric fields, and the nature of current flow in conductive materials.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants explain that a balloon becomes charged through friction, creating a charge imbalance that allows it to stick to a wall via an electric field.
  • Others argue that in the case of a current charge, the number of positive and negative charges are roughly equal, resulting in no electric field and thus no attraction to objects like paper.
  • A participant seeks clarification on what is meant by the equality of positive and negative charges in a current, indicating a need for deeper understanding of current flow.
  • There is a discussion about the nature of current, where one participant describes current as the flow of electrons, which are negative charges, and how this relates to the neutrality of the wire.
  • Another participant emphasizes that static electricity is about charge imbalances on surfaces, while current electricity pertains to the motion of charges within a conductor.
  • One participant questions whether the small bits of paper are charged, noting that their behavior may depend on whether they have been rubbed against a material to create a charge imbalance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the distinction between static electricity and current electricity, but there are differing views on the implications of charge neutrality in current flow and the behavior of uncharged paper in proximity to a charged balloon.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the assumptions about the charge states of the paper and the specifics of how charge imbalances affect attraction. The discussion does not resolve the nuances of these concepts.

Aichuk
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I was reading that if a balloon is rubbed against cloth, it becomes charged and therefore it sticks to a wall for a short time if I place it against a wall. So how come if I have a non-static charge (current charge) and then I placed small bits of paper besides it, the paper doesn't stick as well.

Sorry if my question sounds idiotic, I just need to clear up some conceptions
 
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What causes the balloon to stick to the wall is the charges on the surface of the balloon to be attracted to the wall via an electric field. In the case of a charge current, the number of + and - are roughly equal, so there is no electric field (thus no attraction/repulsion).
 
Can you explain what you mean by + and - being equal in a current?
 
By "current charge" do you mean the current flowing in a circuit?
 
Yes.
 
Current is the flow of electrons, which we define as negative charge -- this the symbol " - ". Protons are positive charge " + ". In an atom of copper (neutral charge), the number of protons = number of electrons.

A circuit wire is made of of copper (or some other conducting medium). So the number of electrons = number of protons in the wire. Of course, this is not exactly true because there is a "sea" of electrons flowing along the conductive band of the copper lattice when the electricity is flowing. This is why I say + and - are "roughly equal": because it is impossible to say which electron belongs to which atom of copper (they are all flowing!).

So long story short, the number of + and - are roughly equal in the circuit wire so there is NO external electric field generated. However, if you place 2 such conducting wires next to each other, they will push apart or pull together. Do you know why?
 
Applying a voltage to a circuit causes current to flow through the circuit. But no charges actually leave the circuit, so it stays neutral. It's like water flowing around a loop of pipe. The water flows, but no water leaves the pipe.
 
@Aichuk

When u rub the balloon, u are creating a charge imbalance (if u rub balloon to your hair, i think the balloon gains electrons from your hair and becomes negatively charged .. but it doesn't really matter if it gains or loses, what matters is.. this creates a charge imbalance).. and its this charge imbalance that is responsible for the "static cling"

However when u have an electric current in a wire, there is no charge imbalance in the wire, the wire is NEUTRAL (its only that there is a flow of either negative or positive charges in one particular direction ), so there will not be any static cling

Static electricity is all about the charge imbalances and its the physics of the SURFACE of a conductor

Current electricity is all about motion of charges and its usually the physics of the current INSIDE a conductor
 
Aichuk said:
I was reading that if a balloon is rubbed against cloth, it becomes charged and therefore it sticks to a wall for a short time if I place it against a wall. So how come if I have a non-static charge (current charge) and then I placed small bits of paper besides it, the paper doesn't stick as well.

Besides the circuit not being charged, are the small bits of paper charged? You haven't said if you rubbed them against cloth or not. In either case they, of course, don't stick.
 

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