Two identical conducting spheres are placed a distance d from each other and have initial charges of -2Q and 8Q, respectively. The spheres are initially connected by a thin conducting wire; the wire is then removed. The charges on the spheres after the removal of the wire are

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When two conducting spheres are connected by a wire, charges redistribute between them until they reach the same potential. The total charge before connection is the sum of the individual charges, which is -2Q + 8Q = 6Q. When this total charge is equally distributed between the two spheres, each sphere ends up with half of the total charge, which is 6Q/2 = 3Q. Therefore, after the wire is removed, each sphere has a charge of 3Q.

Two Identical Conducting Spheres Are Placed a Distance D from Each