Why Does Hair Stand Up When Touching a Van der Graaf Generator?

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Why does your hair stand out when you touch the the van der graaf generator ?? What controls the direction of the hair
 

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Idrees said:
Why does your hair stand out when you touch the the van der graaf generator ?? What controls the direction of the hair

Well, since this is a homework/coursework question, we can't just give you the answer. But maybe we can give you a hint or two to help you figure it out yourself.

What is the equation that relates the force F on a charged particle Q in terms of its charge and the value of an electric field E that the particle is sitting in? What makes electric field?
 

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