- #1
mitleid
- 56
- 1
Was curious how some of you guys would solve this problem...
Three conducting spheres of radii a, b and c are connected by negligibly thin conducting wires. Distances between the spheres are much larger than their sizes. The electric field on the surface of a is measured to be E[tex]_{a}[/tex]. What is the total charge Q that this system of three spheres holds?
E = Q/r[tex]^{2}[/tex]*Ke
Q = Q[tex]_{a}[/tex]+Q[tex]_{b}[/tex]+Q[tex]_{c}[/tex]
The way I solved it is most likely not the way my professor intended. I said that since the amount of charge on each sphere is a function only of the radius of the sphere...
a + b + c = x
a/x = percentage of Q shared on sphere a (called this S[tex]_{a}[/tex])
so Q[tex]_{a}[/tex] = S[tex]_{a}[/tex]*Q
and Q = Q[tex]_{a}[/tex]/S[tex]_{a}[/tex]
I imagine I'm missing a conceptual link that'd make another path to solving this more clear.
Three conducting spheres of radii a, b and c are connected by negligibly thin conducting wires. Distances between the spheres are much larger than their sizes. The electric field on the surface of a is measured to be E[tex]_{a}[/tex]. What is the total charge Q that this system of three spheres holds?
E = Q/r[tex]^{2}[/tex]*Ke
Q = Q[tex]_{a}[/tex]+Q[tex]_{b}[/tex]+Q[tex]_{c}[/tex]
The way I solved it is most likely not the way my professor intended. I said that since the amount of charge on each sphere is a function only of the radius of the sphere...
a + b + c = x
a/x = percentage of Q shared on sphere a (called this S[tex]_{a}[/tex])
so Q[tex]_{a}[/tex] = S[tex]_{a}[/tex]*Q
and Q = Q[tex]_{a}[/tex]/S[tex]_{a}[/tex]
I imagine I'm missing a conceptual link that'd make another path to solving this more clear.