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Chapter 16: Q6Q (page 443)

Contrast the net charge on a conductor to the “free charges” in the conductor.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The net charge equals the sum of all positive and negative charges in the conductor.

Step by step solution

01

Concepts

The same charge repels and the opposite charge attracts.

Free charge means a loosely bound charge in the conductor.

02

Explanation

The net charge equals the sum of all positive and negative charges in the conductor. In general, the net charge of a conductor is zero as there is the same amount of positive and negative charges.

But the free charge does not mean an extra charge in the conductor. It means the charges are free to move inside the conductor, and they are loosely bound with the nucleus of the atoms.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Why does a shirt or blouse taken from a clothes dryer sometimes cling to your body?

(III) A point charge Q rests at the center of an uncharged thin spherical conducting shell. (See Fig. 16–34.) What is the electric field E as a function of r (a) for r less than the inner radius of the shell, (b) inside the shell, and (c) beyond the shell? (d) How does the shell affect the field due to Q alone? How does the charge Q affect the shell?

The form of Coulomb’s law is very similar to that for Newton’s law of universal gravitation. What are the differences between these two laws? Compare also gravitational mass and electric charge.

A point charge \(\left( {m = 1.0 gram} \right)\) at the end of an insulating cord of length 55 cm is observed to be in equilibrium in a uniform horizontal electric field of \(9500 N/C\), when the pendulum’s position is as shown in Fig. 16–66, with the charge 12 cm above the lowest (vertical) position. If the field points to the right in Fig. 16–66, determine the magnitude and sign of the point charge.

FIGURE 16–66 Problem 57.

Figure 16–50 shows electric field lines due to a point charge. What can you say about the field at point 1 compared with the field at point 2?

(a) The field at point 2 is larger, because point 2 is on a field line.

(b) The field at point 1 is larger, because point 1 is not on a field line.

(c) The field at point 1 is zero, because point 1 is not on a field line.

(d) The field at point 1 is larger, because the field lines are closer together in that region.
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