Question

An inflated balloon was pressed against a wall after it had been rubbed with a piece of synthetic cloth. It was found that the balloon sticks to the wall. What force might be responsible for the attraction between the balloon and the wall?

Answer 1

Hint: As per the condition given in the question, a balloon rubbed with the piece of cloth. While rubbing, the balloon gets some charge due to the transfer of electrons between the cloth and the ball. How do you think the balloon will interact with the wall as a charged system?

Complete step by step answer:
One of the fundamental forces of nature is the electromagnetic force. Electromagnetic force is a type of force that functions between two electrically charged particles. The phenomenon that includes the force acting between the charged particles which are at rest is known as Electrostatic force. Electromagnetism has an unlimited range like the force of gravity, but it is extensively stronger than Gravity. Therefore, electromagnetic force is described as the macroscopic phenomena that we experience everyday like the friction, lightning, rainbows, electric current, etc.

While rubbing the balloon with the help of a small piece of synthetic cloth some of the electrons from the synthetic cloth are transferred to the balloon. Due to this both the cloth and balloon opposite and equal charges. The opposite charges that are developed on the wall are created by electrostatic attraction from the balloon. Since both the wall and the balloon have opposite charges, they attract each other when the balloon is pressed against the wall.

Therefore, the force responsible for the attraction between the balloon and the wall is electrostatic force/electromagnetic force.

Note: Electrostatic induction can be defined as the gain or loss of electric charges on one of the materials which happens under the impact of nearby material that has electric charges. There are two basic types of forces of nature. They are fundamental force and non-fundamental force. The non-fundamental force is Normal force, Frictional force, Tension force, Elastic force, etc.