Question

A rubber balloon gains excess electrons when a person rubs the balloon in his hair. If the person decided to do this, answer the following questions about the charged balloon.

(a) If the balloon is allowed to come into contact with the wall, it will stick to the wall. In one sentence, tell me why the balloon sticks to the wall. Please draw a free body diagram of the balloon as it sticks, stationary, to the wall.

(b) Determine an expression for the coecient of static friction between the balloon and the wall. Recall: fs=µsN. Your expression should be in terms of m, g, k, q, and d; where: m is mass, g is the constant associated with the acceleration due to gravity, q is charge, and d is the distance between the balloon and the wall.

(c) If µs = 0.81, m = 7.5 g and q = 7 nC, determine the actual distance between the balloon and the wall, when the balloon is ”touching” the wall..

Answer 1