Question

three balloons are hung from the ceiling by threads. balloon a is positively-charged. balloons a and b attract each other. balloons b and c attract each other. balloon c attracts neutral paper bits.
balloon c is ...
positive negative neutral
tap buttons to select and deselect answers. select all answers that could apply

Explanation:

• Balloon A and B attract each other: Since balloon A is positively - charged, balloon B could be negatively - charged (opposite charges attract) or neutral (a charged object can attract a neutral object due to charge induction).
• Balloon B and C attract each other:
• If B is negative: Then C could be positive (opposite charges attract) or neutral (charge induction). But C attracts neutral paper bits. A neutral object cannot attract other neutral objects (like the paper bits). So if B is negative, C must be positive.
• If B is neutral: Then C must be charged (since a neutral B and a neutral C would not attract each other). And since C attracts neutral paper bits, C is charged. But B (neutral) and C (charged) attract each other. However, if B were neutral, A (positive) and B (neutral) would attract (due to charge induction on B), and B (neutral) and C (charged) would attract (due to charge induction on B). But we know that C attracts neutral paper bits. A charged object can attract neutral objects. If C were neutral, it could not attract the neutral paper bits.

Answer:

Positive