Why do the hairs on my arm stand up when i bring a charged electrostatic rod near it?

Question

Is it because

a) the hairs on my arm is negatively charged and the rod is postively charged so they attract each other so the hair reaches out to the rod.

b) the hairs become charged so they try to get as far away from each other as possible.

I'm confused.

Thanks!

Answer 1

The law of charges says that like charges repel and unlike charges attract. That's why every single electro n in the world flows from negative to positive. (outside of a battery)

So if the hairs are standing up the real question is this: Are they being attracted to the rod or are they trying to get away from the rod. Instinct tells me they are attracted which means they are unlike.

                                 Steve

Answer 2

When you approach the charged rod, it will induce the hair in your arms, causing the charges to split and forming dipoles: each hair will act as a single dipole. They will be aligned so that the opposite charge of the one in the rod will be accumulated in the tip of the hairs; so, they will be attracted to the rod. But, as they are all aligned in a similar way, they will also repel each other.

So it's a combination of the two effects. =D

Answer 3

i think mine are too.

theyre always sticking out.

and they never touch,

i cant do anything about it that i know of.