A thin, hollow, spherical conducting shell has an inner radius and outer radius . The…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance · Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
Problem
A thin, hollow, spherical conducting shell has an inner radius a and outer radius b. The shell is initially electrically neutral and isolated. A point charge +q is carefully placed at the geometric center of the cavity without touching the shell.
(1) Determine the magnitude and location of the charges that appear on the surfaces of the conducting shell after the point charge is inserted. Provide a clear explanation for your result.
(2) While the central charge remains in place, the outer surface of the shell is momentarily connected to ground with a conducting wire and then the wire is removed. Determine the new charge distribution on the inner and outer surfaces of the shell after the wire has been removed. Justify your answer.
(3) The point charge +q is now withdrawn from the cavity through a small hole in the shell wall without the charge ever contacting the conductor. No additional connections to ground are made. Determine the final net charge on the shell and specify how it is distributed. Explain each step of your reasoning.
(4) Discuss how the sequence described in parts (a)–(c) can be exploited experimentally to place a precisely known amount of charge on an otherwise neutral conductor. Include limitations or practical considerations that may affect the accuracy of such a method.