Ajay.makhecha
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- 0
If a conductor has a cavity in it and if a charge is placed in the cavity, then will the electric field inside it be zer
Charge placed in a cavity in a conductor
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Ajay.makhecha
- 10
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Actually I just started learning electrostatics. In our texts it is mentioned that electric field inside a conductor must be 0. But nothing is mentioned if it has a charge inside it. So I just asked out of curiosity. Btw can you say why it won't be zero?
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my2cts
- 362
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"Inside a conductor" in this case should be read as inside the volume actually occupied by the conductor.
It can also mean a hollow space surrounded by a conductor, in which the field is not necessarily zero.
Suppose a charge q is in the hollow space
On the inner and outer surfaces charges (-q and +q) are distributed such that the electric field inside the metal is cancelled.
Outside the metal a field exists due to the outer surface charge distribution of +q. If the conductor and the cavity are spherical and concentric,
this field will be equal to the field of a free charge.
It can also mean a hollow space surrounded by a conductor, in which the field is not necessarily zero.
Suppose a charge q is in the hollow space
On the inner and outer surfaces charges (-q and +q) are distributed such that the electric field inside the metal is cancelled.
Outside the metal a field exists due to the outer surface charge distribution of +q. If the conductor and the cavity are spherical and concentric,
this field will be equal to the field of a free charge.