Ruby_338 said:From what I've learned, excess charge on an insulator stays where it is but excess charge on a conductor spreads uniformly throughout its surface. Why does this happen? Can this be explained in terms of electrostatic potential?
Ruby_338 said:I mean, why doesn't it stay in one place like in an insulator?
A conductor is a material that allows the flow of electric current, while an insulator is a material that does not allow the flow of electric current. Conductors have a high number of free electrons, while insulators have very few.
Insulators have excess charge on their surface because they are not able to conduct electricity, so the charge cannot flow through the material. This causes the charge to accumulate on the surface of the insulator.
The excess charge on conductors can be easily distributed throughout the material, while on insulators, the charge stays on the surface. This affects their properties such as their ability to conduct electricity and their surface tension.
Insulators can become charged due to friction, where electrons are transferred from one object to another. They can also become charged due to induction, where an external electric field causes the movement of electrons within the insulator.
The excess charge on insulators and conductors can be measured using an electroscope or an electrometer. These instruments can detect the presence and magnitude of electric charge on a surface.