Is the Charge on the Inner Wall of a Conducting Sphere Zero?

  • Thread starter Toddy
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Law
In summary, the conversation discusses the concept of Gauss's law and how it applies to a charge placed on an isolated conductor. It also addresses a specific homework problem involving a conducting sphere and the distribution of excess charge on its inner wall. The conversation also mentions using equations to explain the concept and how it relates to Gauss's law.
  • #1
Toddy
3
0
Hello guys,

Homework Statement


I am currently learning about Gauss's law in my physics class. I am having trouble understanding the concept of a charge placed on an isolated conductor. For example, one of my homework problems asked for the charge on the inner wall of a conducting sphere giving that the sphere has a certain excess charge. According to my book, the excess charge will move entirely to the surface of the conductor. So does that mean that the charge on the inner wall of the sphere would be the opposite sign of the excess charge? Or would it be zero, since all of the charge on a conductor is located on its outer surface? Thank you advance.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Welcome to physicsforums.
It may be easy to explain in equation. Use Gauss law inside the sphere. Now look at the equation. As e-field inside the sphere is zero, it means the LHS is zero. Therefore, the RHS is zero. What does it mean?
 

FAQ: Is the Charge on the Inner Wall of a Conducting Sphere Zero?

What is Gauss's law?

Gauss's law is a fundamental principle in electromagnetism that relates the electric flux through a closed surface to the electric charge enclosed within that surface. It is one of Maxwell's equations and helps to understand the behavior of electric fields.

How do you apply Gauss's law?

To apply Gauss's law, you need to calculate the electric flux through a closed surface, which can be done by taking the dot product of the electric field and the area vector of the surface. Then, you need to determine the total charge enclosed within that surface. Finally, you can use the formula Q/ε0 = ΦE to solve for the electric field.

What is the significance of Gauss's law?

Gauss's law is significant because it helps to understand the behavior of electric fields and how they are affected by electric charges. It also allows us to calculate the strength of the electric field at a particular point in space, which is crucial for many practical applications in science and engineering.

Can Gauss's law be used for any shape of a closed surface?

Yes, Gauss's law can be applied to any shape of a closed surface, as long as the electric field and charge distribution are symmetric. This means that the electric field and charge must have the same symmetry, such as spherical, cylindrical, or planar symmetry.

How does Gauss's law relate to Coulomb's law?

Gauss's law is a more general form of Coulomb's law. While Coulomb's law only applies to point charges, Gauss's law can be used for any charge distribution. Additionally, Gauss's law provides a more convenient way to calculate the electric field, as it only requires knowledge of the total charge enclosed within a closed surface, rather than the individual charges. However, both laws are based on the same fundamental principles of electromagnetism.

Similar threads

Induced charge on a conducting sphere sliced by a plane
Replies
2
Views
684
Charge on inner/outer surfaces of two large parallel conducting plates
Replies
11
Views
1K
Electric field external to Conducting Hollow Sphere with charge inside
Replies
23
Views
2K
Gauss' law and Faraday cage problem
Replies
10
Views
1K
Conducting Sphere With Cavity E-field / Gauss' law
Replies
7
Views
2K
Point charge in cavity of a spherical neutral conductor
Replies
8
Views
2K
Use of imaginary charge vs Gauss' law
Replies
12
Views
525
Charge upon a parallel plate capacitor
Replies
18
Views
2K
Charge rearrangement on conducting spheres
Replies
21
Views
3K
Electric field lines outside a neutral conducting spherical shell
Replies
12
Views
661

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top