How Does Charging Affect the Electric Field Inside a Metal Sphere?

AI Thread Summary
The electric field inside an uncharged metal sphere is zero due to the free movement of charges that rearrange to cancel any internal field. When the sphere is positively charged, the electric field remains zero at the center and throughout the interior. This principle holds true regardless of whether the sphere is solid or hollow, as the charges will still redistribute to maintain a zero electric field inside. Therefore, both solid and hollow metal spheres exhibit no electric field within them when in electrostatic equilibrium. The behavior of electric fields in metal spheres underscores fundamental principles of electrostatics.
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The electric field inside an uncharged metal sphere is initially zero.
If the sphere is the positively charged, the field at the center of the sphere will be...?
 
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Iron_Man_123 said:
The electric field inside an uncharged metal sphere is initially zero.
If the sphere is the positively charged, the field at the center of the sphere will be...?
Metal is a conductor, so the charges are free to move wherever they want inside it. They will rearrange themselves to cancel out any field inside the sphere. So at equilibrium the electric field inside a conductor is zero
 
Does the answer change if the sphere is hollow?
 
Iron_Man_123 said:
Does the answer change if the sphere is hollow?
No it doesn't matter, The same thing will happen producing a zero electric field inside the hollow sphere
 
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