Are Insulators Negatively Charged?

If you have an insulator that's charged up with a negative charge, and you touch a conductor, the negatively charged excess electrons will move to the conductor until the electrons would rather not move anywhere at all. ... This leaves positive charges on the side closest to the negatively charged metal ball.

What is the charge of an insulator?

An insulator holds charge within its atomic structure. Objects with like charges repel each other, while those with unlike charges attract each other. A conducting object is said to be grounded if it is connected to the Earth through a conductor.

Do insulators have a positive charge?

As mentioned, the conduction electrons in the conductor are able to move with nearly complete freedom. As a result, when a charged insulator (such as a positively charged glass rod) is brought close to the conductor, the (total) charge on the insulator exerts an electric force on the conduction electrons.