International General Certificate Of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Physics Practice Exam

When two objects come into contact, charge can move between them due to the principle of electrostatic induction. If one object has an excess of electrons (negatively charged) and the other has a deficit (positively charged), electrons will flow from the negatively charged object to the positively charged one until electrical equilibrium is achieved. This means that they will exchange charge, resulting in both objects having the same amount of charge when they separate. Once separated, the objects will not maintain their original charges but instead will have exchanged equal amounts of charge, potentially leaving them either both neutrally charged or both charged either positively or negatively, depending on their initial charges. The key concept here is that the charge exchange occurs equally, ensuring that the total amount of charge is conserved in a closed system.