Can we transfer the whole charge of a body to another body?

[oliverkahn]

When I asked "Can we transfer the whole charge of a body to another body?"

my colleague replied:

"If charged body (say 5 Coulomb) is any charged conductor $A$, it can be done by enclosing $A$ completely by second uncharged conductor $B$ and connecting them by a conducting wire $B$ will acquire 5 Coulomb and $A$ becomes uncharged.

Is this true? Can we transfer the whole charge of a body to another body?

 

[etotheipi]

I believe this is true, at least theoretically. Construct a Gaussian surface between the two bodies, there must be no electric field in the region between A and B once equilibrium has been reached. That constrains $Q$ enclosed within the surface to be zero, so all the charge must reside in B. Assuming the wire is negligible/stores no charge.

As for if it would work in practice, I've no idea!

 

[oliverkahn]

I believe this is true, at least theoretically. Construct a Gaussian surface between the two bodies, there must be no electric field in the region between A and B once equilibrium has been reached. That constrains $Q$ enclosed within the surface to be zero, so all the charge must reside in B.

As for if it would work in practice, I've no idea!

Thank you for your answer. I wanted to make sure if it works in practice. I guess it works so, but needs conformation.

 

[oliverkahn]

I think I got the solution :

The charge always goes to the outer surface of a conductor. When we connect the two conductors $A$ and $B$ by a conducting wire, the whole system becomes a single conductor.

So the surface of "that" single conductor $C$ will be the surface of the larger conductor $B$. So the charge will reside on the outer surface of larger conductor $B$.

Thus we can transfer the whole charge of a conductor to another conductor.

Am I right or missing anything.

 

[etotheipi]

I think I got the solution :

The charge always goes to the outer surface of a conductor. When we connect the two conductors $A$ and $B$ by a conducting wire, the whole system becomes a single conductor.

So the surface of "that" single conductor $C$ will be the surface of the larger conductor $B$. So the charge will reside on the outer surface of larger conductor $B$.

Thus we can transfer the whole charge of a conductor to another conductor.

Am I right or missing anything.

Yes I think that's right, on second thoughts it's perhaps even easier to consider a Gaussian surface just below the surface of conductor B, since that requires fewer logical leaps.