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Static electricity does funny things. First, it's a form of contact electrification, and it has to do with the moving or movement of charges to create an imbalance. In this phenomenon, electric charges (electrons) are fed onto an object or drawn off that object. This will give it an overall charge, and it will be either negative or positive, respectively. And when the charges are moved, the charge on the object will equalize. It won't concentrate (generally) but will "spread out" over the surface of the object that is charged (but there will be some charge concentration at any part of the surface that has sharp "points" to it). So we've got a person charged up with, say, a whole bunch of extra electrons. Do you have the picture? Good. Let's jump. The zillion or so "extra" electrons we charged the person up with spread out over the person. Lots of them are on the person's hair. Remember the basic law of electrostatics about how opposite charges attract and like charges repel? Guess what all those electrons in the person's hair are doing. They're pushing each other away. And because the hair strands aren't really massive (heavy), the hair strands are pushed apart and away from the person. The hair will stand up to get away from the person, and the strands will push away from each other separating those strands. The charges are doing this as the move to equalize themselves over the surface of the charged object (the person). When a person's body is charged, the charges distribute themselves over the outside of the person (to minimize charge density). This includes the hair. And the hair, because it is light and can move freely, will stand up to get away from the person, and the strands will move away from each other as like charges repel. The charges always move around to "minimize" charge density 'cause they don't like each other. This spreads them out over the object charged and gives rise to the movement of the hair.

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16y ago
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4mo ago

Electric charges in the hair can be attracted or repelled by an electrically charged object. When hair becomes charged with the same charge, it repels each other, causing the hair strands to stand up. This is known as static electricity.

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Q: Why does electricity make hair stand up?
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Related questions

How can we make hair stand with electricity?

To make hair stand with electricity, you can create a static charge by rubbing a balloon or comb against your hair. This will cause the hair strands to repel each other due to the static charge, making them stand up.


Name something that can make your hair stand straight up?

hair product, static electricity, ghost, fear


Why does a balloon rubbed in your hair make your hair stand up?

When you rub a balloon against your hair, it creates static electricity. This transfer of electrons from the balloon to your hair causes the individual strands of your hair to become positively charged and repel each other, making them stand up.


What is the name of the ball that uses electricity that when you put your hand on to make your hair stand up?

The ball is called a Van de Graaff generator. It generates static electricity which causes the hair to stand up when someone places their hand on it due to the repulsion of positively charged hair strands.


What caused hair to stand up?

Humidity and Static Electricity


How does electricity make your hair stand up?

When electricity passes through your body, it can create a static charge on your hair strands. This charge causes them to repel from each other, making them stand up. This effect is commonly seen in situations where friction or rubbing causes a buildup of static electricity, such as when removing a sweater.


What machine makes you hair stand up?

A Van de Graaff generator is a machine that can make your hair stand up. It generates static electricity that causes your hair to repel each other due to the same charge, resulting in an "electric" hairstyle.


Why or how does hair stand up on your arms?

Hair on your arms can stand up when you experience emotions like fear or excitement due to a survival instinct called piloerection. Tiny muscles at the base of each hair follicle contract, causing the hair to stand up and create insulation or make you appear larger to potential threats.


Why does your hair stand up when you touch a source of electricity?

When you touch a source of electricity, your body can conduct some of the electric charge. This can cause your hair to stand up due to the electrical forces affecting the positively charged hair strands. It is a result of the static charge created by the interaction between the electricity and your hair.


How do you make your hair stand up?

You cover your hair in hair gel then you comb it up


How does a balloon make your hair stick up?

When you rub a balloon against your hair, it creates static electricity. The balloon becomes negatively charged and your hair becomes positively charged. The positively charged hair strands repel each other, causing them to stand up and away from each other.


How can static electricity generate an electrical force to make your hair stand on end?

When you rub objects together, some of the electrons from one object jump to the other, causing one object to become positively charged and the other to become negatively charged. This results in an imbalance of charges, creating static electricity. When the charged object interacts with your hair, the electrical force between the charged object and your hair causes your hair strands to repel each other, making them stand on end.