Question

A man places his hands on a conducting sphere that has a conveyor belt continuously supplying charge to it. It is noticed that his hair stands on end. Which of the following best explains this phenomenon?
1. Like charges repel
2. Unlike charges attract
3. His body conducts a current to the ground
4. None of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : Like charges repel

The correct answer is option 1) i.e. Like charges repel

CONCEPT:

• Electric charge is a fundamental property of matter that causes the matter to experience a force when kept in electric and magnetic fields.
  • There are two types of charges possessed by matter - negative charge and positive charge.
  • The matter that is neither positive nor negative is said to be neutral.
  • The electric charge of the matter comes from the charge carried by electrons and protons at the atomic level.
• Properties of electric charge:
  • Like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
  • Electric charge is conserved.
  • Electric charge is quantized.

EXPLANATION:

• When the man places his hands on the conducting sphere, the charge from the sphere flows into his hair.
• As all the hair strands attain the same polarity of charges, they tend to repel each other. This is why they stand on their ends. 
• Thus, the property of electric charge i.e. like charges repel is the explanation for this event.