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fornax
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Homework Statement
A +30mC point charge sits at the center of a spherical thick metal shell, of 4.0cm inner radius, and 2.0cm thickness. The net charge on the shell is -50mC.
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
I came up with several conclusions and I'm not really sure which one is right. I'm just looking for a confirmation of how this charge would distribute itself. I learned that in such a case as this, an equal and opposite amount of charge would distribute itself across the inner surface of the shell, so -30mC. Since the net charge is then -50mC, that means that -20mC must be on the outer surface. That didn't really make much sense to though me since there is no where for a positive charge on the shell. So does that mean there's a charge of -80mC on the inner surface of the shell, and +30mC on the outside? or is it just one big negatively charged conductor?