ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Surface potential

Surface potential is like a game of tug-of-war between two teams, but instead of people, there are tiny positive and negative charges. Imagine you have a ball, and you want to move it from one team's side to the other. If one team has more people (or charges) than the other, they will pull the ball towards their side, making it harder for you to move it over to the other team.

Similarly, on the surface of a material, there are positive and negative charges. The balance between these charges determines the surface potential. If there are more positive charges, the surface potential will be positive, and if there are more negative charges, the surface potential will be negative.

When two materials come into contact, they can transfer charges, causing a change in surface potential. For example, if you rub a balloon against your hair, the balloon becomes negatively charged and will stick to a wall. This is because the wall has a positive surface potential, creating an attractive force between the two.

In summary, surface potential is a measure of the balance between positive and negative charges on the surface of a material. This balance can change when materials come into contact, leading to attractive or repulsive forces between them.