Enrico says that positive charge is created when you rub a glass rod with silk, and that negative charge is simply the absence of positive charge. Rosetta says that negative charge is created and that positive charge is the absence of positive charge. (She has heard that Ben Franklin should have reversed the signs he associated with the charges.) Which one, if either, is correct?
A) Enrico, because there really is only one kind of charge.
B) Rosetta, because there really is only one kind of charge.
C) Neither: although no charge is present originally, both types of charge are created through friction.
D) Both: only one type of charge is created by friction at any one time.
E) Neither: both negative and positive charge are present simultaneously in all solid materials on Earth and the process described involves a transfer of charge, not the creation of charge.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, electrons (which carry negative charge) are transferred from one material to the other. This does not create charge but redistributes it, leaving one object positively charged (due to a deficit of electrons) and the other negatively charged (due to an excess of electrons). Both positive and negative charges are inherent in materials; the process of rubbing merely separates them.

Enrico Says That Positive Charge Is Created When You Rub