15.2 Electrostatic Induction
When a charged plastic rod is brought near a suspended neutral aluminium rod, both rods are drawn toward each other. At first glance, this attraction suggests that the rods have opposite charges. However, the charged plastic rod causes a redistribution of positive and negative charges within the neutral aluminium rod, leading to the attraction. Despite this, the total charge on the aluminium rod remains zero. This indicates that attraction alone is not a reliable method to determine if an object is charged. This observed behaviour is called electrostatic induction.
lightbulbIn the presence of a charged object, an insulated conductor develops a positive charge at one end and a negative charge at the other end. This process is known as electrostatic induction.