How Does Charge Redistribution Occur Between Two Connected Spherical Conductors?

AI Thread Summary
Charge redistribution occurs between two connected spherical conductors when they reach equilibrium, resulting in equal electric potentials. Initially, a charge of 2.5 C is placed on shell #1, while shell #2 is neutral. When connected by a conducting wire, the charges redistribute, leading to a final charge on shell #1 and shell #2 that can be determined using the equation for electric potential, V=ke(q/r). The user initially attempted to set the potentials equal to find the charges but was marked wrong before resolving the issue independently. Understanding the principles of charge distribution and electric potential is crucial for solving such problems.
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Homework Statement



Two spherical conductors of radii r1 and r2 are separated by a distance much greater than the radius of either sphere. The spheres are connected by a conducting wire as shown in the figure. The charges on the spheres in equilibrium are q1 and q2, respectively, and they are uniformly charged

25-25.gif


What if initially a charge 2.5 C is put on shell #1 with radius 4.3 m, then a far away shell #2 (initially neutral) with radius 7.3 m is connected to shell #1 by a long conducting wire.
(a) What is the final charge on shell #1?(b) What is the final charge on shell #2?(c) What is the electric potential V on shell #1?
(d) What is the electric potential V on shell #2?

Homework Equations



V=ke(q/r)

The Attempt at a Solution



I know that the electric potentials of the two shells are equal due to the conducting wire. It says that the conducting wire is "long" so I believe they behave like point charges and I would use the equation I listed. So I figured I would set the equations for the two shells equal and solve, like so:

ke(q1/r1) =
ke(q2/r2)

and solve for the unknown q. I thought this would give me the answer to part A but I was marked wrong... can anyone tell me what I'm doing incorrectly?

Thanks
 
Last edited:
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Nevermind, I got it.
 

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