When you rub the back of a plastic pen in your hair and bring it near a small piece of paper it attracts paper due to _______

Options

A. electrostatic force
B. friction
C. magnetic force
D. gravity

Explanation

To solve the question, we need to understand the phenomenon that occurs when a plastic pen is rubbed against hair and then brought near a small piece of paper.

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understanding Rubbing and Charge Generation**:
- When you rub the back of a plastic pen against your hair, a transfer of electrons occurs. This process is known as triboelectric charging. The plastic pen gains electrons and becomes negatively charged, while your hair loses electrons and becomes positively charged.

2. **Bringing the Charged Pen Near Paper**:
- When the negatively charged plastic pen is brought near a small piece of paper, the electric field generated by the charge on the pen influences the charges in the paper.

3. **Inducing Charge in the Paper**:
- The paper, which is initially neutral, has its electrons repelled by the negatively charged pen. This causes the side of the paper closest to the pen to become positively charged (due to the deficiency of electrons), while the side farthest from the pen remains neutral.

4. **Attraction Between Charged Pen and Paper**:
- The positively charged side of the paper is attracted to the negatively charged pen. This attraction is due to the electrostatic force, which is the force between charged objects.

5. **Conclusion**:
- Therefore, the reason the piece of paper is attracted to the plastic pen after rubbing it in your hair is due to the electrostatic force created by the charge on the pen.

### Final Answer:
When you rub the back of a plastic pen in your hair and bring it near a small piece of paper, it attracts the paper due to **electrostatic force**.

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