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How does the expression for electric fields just outside a sheet of charge and a charged conductor differ?

a. The same expression
b. One is zero, the other is not
c. Different magnitudes
d. Different directions

1 Answer

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Final answer:

The electric field just outside a sheet of charge and a charged conductor differ in magnitude. An infinite sheet of charge has a field magnitude of σ/2ε_0, and a charged conductor has a field magnitude of σ/ε_0. The direction of the field for a single sheet or plate is away from the surface, while for parallel plates it is from positive to negative. Therefore the correct answer is c. Different magnitudes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The electric field (E) just outside a sheet of charge and a charged conductor are different in terms of magnitude. For an infinite sheet of charge, the electric field is constant and has a magnitude given by E = σ/2ε_0, where σ is the surface charge density and ε_0 is the permittivity of free space.

For a charged conductor, the electric field just outside its surface is given by E = σ/ε_0. The key difference here is the coefficient in front of the surface charge density σ.

In addition, for an infinite charged plate, the electric field is uniform and directed away from the plate, whereas for two charged parallel plates, the field is directed from the positive to the negative plate and is constant in magnitude and direction at points far from the edges.

The expression for the electric fields just outside a sheet of charge and a charged conductor differs in direction. For a sheet of charge, the electric field just outside the sheet is perpendicular to the sheet and points away from it. On the other hand, for a charged conductor, the electric field just outside the conductor is perpendicular to the surface and points towards it.

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