Explain using the concept of charged particles: why when you rub a dog with a blanket its hair raises

Question

jamesj · Answer

For a good answer, watch this fantastic lecture: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02-electricity-and-magnetism-spring-2002/video-lectures/lecture-1-what-holds-our-world-together/

anonymous · Answer

could you help me

jamesj · Answer

Both the dog and blanket gather a static electric charge: one of them positive, the other negative, it doesn't matter which is which.

Like charges repel each other. Positive repels positive. Negative repels negative.

Each of the hairs on the dog has a charge of the same type. Hence each of the hairs repels all of the other hairs, which means they push away from each other. With those forces in play, the way that the hairs can get farthest away from each other is to 'stand up'.

I still recommend you watch the lecture I just linked to, even if you don't understand all of the mathematics. He demonstrates this among many other excellent things.

anonymous · Answer

alright thank you so much