Question

Three identical conducting spheres hold charges Qₐ= -2q, Qᵦ= -1q, and Q = 4q. First, sphere A is brought into contact with sphere C. Second, sphere C is brought into contact with sphere B. What is the resulting charge on sphere B?

Answer 1

When two identical conducting spheres are brought into contact, they share their charges evenly between them and retain half of the total original charge after separation.

Step-by-step explanation:

When two identical conducting spheres on insulating stands are brought into contact, they share their charges evenly between them. So, the total charge becomes the sum of their initial charges divided by two. After the spheres are separated, each sphere retains half of the total original charge.

In this case, sphere A has a charge of -5 nC and sphere B has a charge of -3 nC. When they touch, the total charge is (-5 nC) + (-3 nC) = -8 nC. After separation, each sphere will have half of the total original charge, so sphere A will have -4 nC and sphere B will have -4 nC as well.