Metal Charge Transfer: Why Thin Sheets Form

  • Thread starter Thread starter jinyong
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Charge Metal
AI Thread Summary
Charge transfer onto metal occurs primarily at the surface, forming a thin sheet due to electron repulsion, which drives the charge distribution to minimize potential energy. This distribution is not uniform; it adjusts to ensure that the electric field inside the metal remains zero. The tendency for charges to spread uniformly across the surface leads to the formation of this thin sheet. Understanding these principles is crucial for applications in electrostatics and material science. The behavior of surface charges is essential for predicting the electrical properties of metals.
jinyong
Messages
20
Reaction score
0
Why is it that when there's transfer of charge onto the metal it always forms on as close to the surface as possible and in a thin sheet?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Because the electrons repel each other and the charge distribution acquires minimum potential energy by spreading uniformly over the surface..
 
Mr.4 said:
Because the electrons repel each other and the charge distribution acquires minimum potential energy by spreading uniformly over the surface..
The surface charge is usually not uniform. It is distributed so that the E
field is zero inside the metal.
 
I was talking about the thin sheet there.
 

Thread 'How to picture the vector potential?'

Susskind (in The Theoretical Minimum, volume 1, pages 203-205) writes the Lagrangian for the magnetic field as ##L=\frac m 2(\dot x^2+\dot y^2 + \dot z^2)+ \frac e c (\dot x A_x +\dot y A_y +\dot z A_z)## and then calculates ##\dot p_x =ma_x + \frac e c \frac d {dt} A_x=ma_x + \frac e c(\frac {\partial A_x} {\partial x}\dot x + \frac {\partial A_x} {\partial y}\dot y + \frac {\partial A_x} {\partial z}\dot z)##. I have problems with the last step. I might have written ##\frac {dA_x} {dt}...
View full post »
Thread 'Griffith, Electrodynamics, 4th Edition, Example 4.8. (Second part)'

Thread 'Griffith, Electrodynamics, 4th Edition, Example 4.8. (Second part)'

I am reading the Griffith, Electrodynamics book, 4th edition, Example 4.8. I want to understand some issues more correctly. It's a little bit difficult to understand now. > Example 4.8. Suppose the entire region below the plane ##z=0## in Fig. 4.28 is filled with uniform linear dielectric material of susceptibility ##\chi_e##. Calculate the force on a point charge ##q## situated a distance ##d## above the origin. In the page 196, in the first paragraph, the author argues as follows ...
View full post »

Similar threads

B Symmetry regarding induced potentials?
Replies
4
Views
1K
I Electric Field Shielding by Conducting Sheets
Replies
3
Views
2K
A Electric field of infinite sheet with time dependent charge
Replies
22
Views
2K
I Capacitor surface charge movement current, relativistic effects
Replies
2
Views
1K
Is There an Electric Field Within the Cavity of a Polarized Hollow Conductor?
Replies
48
Views
4K
I Charging a small metal ball from a charged hollow sphere
Replies
4
Views
1K
A problem regarding static charge -- rubbing a metal rod with wool
Replies
3
Views
3K
B Definition of ground potential in infinite sheet charge distributions
Replies
11
Views
2K
Positively Charged Metal Sphere: Reactivity & Capacitors
Replies
4
Views
6K
I Meaning of "Static Electricity" and Physical Interpretation
Replies
20
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top