Charged objects are materials that have an imbalance of electric charge, meaning they can be either positively or negatively charged. This imbalance occurs when electrons, which carry a negative charge, are added or removed from an object. For example, when you rub a balloon on your hair, electrons transfer from your hair to the balloon, giving the balloon a negative charge. Charged objects can attract or repel each other based on their charges. Objects with opposite charges, like a positively charged proton and a negatively charged electron, attract each other, while objects with the same charge, like two negatively charged balloons, repel each other. This behavior is fundamental to the study of electricity and magnetism.