Potential of a Sperical charged shell

In summary, the formula for calculating the potential of a spherical charged shell is V = kQ/R, and it decreases with increasing distance from the shell following an inverse relationship. The potential can be negative if the charge of the shell is negative. It represents the work done in bringing a unit of positive charge from infinity to a point near the shell, and is used to calculate the electric field. The potential of a spherical charged shell differs from that of a point charge due to the distribution of charge and the rate of decrease with distance.
  • #1
Neumann12
3
0
okay this isn't really a homework problem, we just got done doing a uniformly charged sphere, but in a good conductor electrons are going to repel each other and move to the surface, and that got me thinking.

How do you find the potential inside a uniformly charged SHELL. Someone said the potential was constant but how do you show this?
 
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  • #2
The point is that inside of a conductor (good or not), if the potential isn't constant then that means a current will flow. Questions like this refer to the situation after all transient currents have stopped flowing.
 

1. What is the formula for calculating the potential of a spherical charged shell?

The formula for calculating the potential of a spherical charged shell is V = kQ/R, where V is the potential, k is the Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge of the shell, and R is the radius of the shell.

2. How does the potential of a spherical charged shell vary with distance?

The potential of a spherical charged shell decreases with increasing distance from the shell. It follows an inverse relationship, meaning that as the distance increases, the potential decreases.

3. Can the potential of a spherical charged shell be negative?

Yes, the potential of a spherical charged shell can be negative. This occurs when the charge of the shell is negative, as the potential is dependent on the charge.

4. What is the significance of the potential of a spherical charged shell?

The potential of a spherical charged shell represents the amount of work done in bringing a unit of positive charge from infinity to a point near the shell. It is also used to calculate the electric field around the shell, which has practical applications in various fields of science and technology.

5. How does the potential of a spherical charged shell differ from that of a point charge?

The potential of a spherical charged shell is different from that of a point charge because it takes into account the distribution of charge over the entire surface of the shell, rather than at a single point. Additionally, the potential of a spherical charged shell decreases more slowly with distance compared to that of a point charge.

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