Question regarding charges on a hollow sphere

  • Thread starter Thread starter Haye
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Charges Sphere
Haye
Messages
15
Reaction score
2

Homework Statement


I have a hollow conducting sphere with a charge on it, and I'm looking at the static situation. Where are the charges located?

Homework Equations


Gauss' Law


The Attempt at a Solution


A static situation, so no electric field inside the sphere, or charges would move until the field is zero. Gauss' law tells me that no E field also means there is no flux, and therefore the charge inside the sphere is zero, so the charges are on the surface of the sphere.
I get this for a massive sphere, but for the hollow sphere you have a surface on the inside aswell.
My thoughts are that if charges would be on the surface on the inside, they wouldn't feel net repulsion from the charges on the outside surface, but would feel repulsion from other charges on the inside surface, and would therefore be pushed to the outside surface.
So I believe that also for a hollow sphere, all the charge would be on the outside surface.
Is my thinking correct?

Regards, Haye
 
Physics news on Phys.org
your thinking is spot on
 
Thread 'Need help understanding this figure on energy levels'
This figure is from "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics" by Griffiths (3rd edition). It is available to download. It is from page 142. I am hoping the usual people on this site will give me a hand understanding what is going on in the figure. After the equation (4.50) it says "It is customary to introduce the principal quantum number, ##n##, which simply orders the allowed energies, starting with 1 for the ground state. (see the figure)" I still don't understand the figure :( Here is...
Thread 'Understanding how to "tack on" the time wiggle factor'
The last problem I posted on QM made it into advanced homework help, that is why I am putting it here. I am sorry for any hassle imposed on the moderators by myself. Part (a) is quite easy. We get $$\sigma_1 = 2\lambda, \mathbf{v}_1 = \begin{pmatrix} 0 \\ 0 \\ 1 \end{pmatrix} \sigma_2 = \lambda, \mathbf{v}_2 = \begin{pmatrix} 1/\sqrt{2} \\ 1/\sqrt{2} \\ 0 \end{pmatrix} \sigma_3 = -\lambda, \mathbf{v}_3 = \begin{pmatrix} 1/\sqrt{2} \\ -1/\sqrt{2} \\ 0 \end{pmatrix} $$ There are two ways...
Back
Top