Static Electricity - Mission SE4 Detailed Help

A negatively charged metal sphere is touched by a person standing on the ground. The metal sphere subsequently becomes neutral. The metal sphere becomes neutral during this process because ______.


 
Definition of Grounding:
Grounding is the process of removing the excess charge on an object by the transfer of electrons between it and another object of substantial size (known as the ground). When a charged object is grounded, a balance of charge is established by the movement of electrons between the charged object and the ground. The process involves providing a connecting pathway between the charged object and the ground.


 
A negatively charged metal sphere has an excess of electrons. To neutralize or ground the sphere, the excess of electrons must be somehow eliminated. In electrostatics experiments, this is done by the movement of electrons between objects. Adding more electrons to the negatively charged metal sphere would not remove its charge; it would make the sphere even more negatively charged. To remove the charge from the sphere, electrons have to be removed from the sphere and transferred to the ground.