A conducting sphere of radius r₁ = 10 cm and charge q₁ = 2  C is placed far apart from a second conducting sphere of radius r₂ = 30 cm and charge q₂ = 3  C.The two spheres are then connected by a thin conducting wire.What is the charge on the first sphere after the two spheres are connected by the wire? A)2  C B)2.5  C C)3  C D)1.25  C E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When two conducting spheres are connected, charge redistributes until their potentials are equal. The final charge on each sphere is proportional to its radius. The total charge is conserved: q1 + q2 = 5 μC. The charge on the first sphere is (r1/(r1+r2)) * total charge = (10/(10+30)) * 5 μC = 1.25 μC.

A Conducting Sphere of Radius R1 = 10 Cm and Charge

A Conducting Sphere of Radius R₁ = 10 Cm and Charge