Question

The charge distribution drawn on the insulating sphere in part b is placed in the same external field as before. How will the distribution of charge on the sphere be affected?

a) It will remain unchanged.
b) It will become positively charged.
c) It will become negatively charged.
d) It will depend on the magnitude of the external field.

Answer 1

The charge distribution on an insulating sphere remains unchanged in an external electric field because the charges cannot move. In contrast, conductive spheres equalize their charges when they come into contact.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question revolves around how the charge distribution on an insulating sphere will be affected when placed in an external electric field. For part b, the insulating sphere with excess negative charge will not have its charge distribution affected in an external field because the charges are unable to move within the insulator. Therefore, the correct answer is a) It will remain unchanged.

When two conductive spheres are put in contact, and they have different charges, they will share their charges until they reach an equilibrium. If metallic sphere A has a charge of –5 nC and metallic sphere B has a charge of –3 nC, upon contact, the total charge of –8 nC will be distributed evenly across both spheres, giving each a final charge of –4 nC.