Two isolated conducting spheres, Sphere X with radius 2.0 cm and Sphere Y with radius…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance · Electrostatic Potential and Capacitance
Problem
Two isolated conducting spheres, Sphere X with radius 2.0 cm and Sphere Y with radius 4.0 cm, are placed very far apart so that their mutual influence before contact can be neglected. Sphere X initially carries charge +Q, while Sphere Y carries charge +2Q.
The spheres are briefly connected with an extremely thin conducting wire and then separated again.
(a) Before the spheres are connected, rank the electric potentials of Sphere X and Sphere Y. Provide a clear explanation for your ranking based only on the given information.
(b) After the wire has been removed, compare the electric potentials of the two spheres. State the relationship and explain the physical principle that guarantees this result.
(c) Describe qualitatively which sphere gains charge and which sphere loses charge during the brief connection, and give a reason for the direction of charge flow.