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... charged tape is attracted to objects that are electrically neutral.....
There is a force of attraction between a charged object and an
uncharged dielectric. We see this experimentally.
The electric field of the tape induces a polarization in the
dielectric. The electric field from the tape is far from uniform.
Because of the polarization of the dielectric, the dipoles do feel a
net force in the inhomogeneous field. (to be specific, suppose we have
a negatively charged tape. The polarization means that a small (very
small) charge separation is induced in the dielectric, and the negative
charges are, on the whole, farther from the tape than the positive
charges. The repulsive force on the negative charges is less than the
attractive force on the positive charges, and we have a net attractive
force.
JEG