What happens to the electric charge of two unlike materials after they are rubbed together?

When two unlike materials are rubbed together, they exhibit the phenomenon of static electricity, which is fundamentally related to the transfer of electric charge. Different materials have different abilities to lose or gain electrons, a property known as triboelectricity. When two dissimilar substances come into contact and then separate, electrons may transfer from one material to the other.

In this process, one material becomes positively charged due to a loss of electrons, while the other material becomes negatively charged because of an excess of electrons. This charging process does not lead to neutralization of the charges; instead, both materials remain charged but with opposite polarities. This unbalanced charge is what allows them to exert attractive forces on each other, as opposite charges attract.

Thus, the condition of both materials staying charged after they have been rubbed together reflects the nature of electric charge transfer between unlike materials. Each maintains its charge state, rather than neutralizing or rendering one material neutral, as suggested in the other choices.