What Happens When You Bombard a Rubber Ball with Electrons?

AI Thread Summary
Bombarding a rubber ball with electrons can induce a negative surface charge as some electrons may remain on the ball. Under certain conditions, this process could also lead to the emission of electromagnetic radiation, although significant radiation would likely result in damaging the rubber. In contrast, using a steel ball could produce notable x-rays from the bombardment. It is recommended to conduct such experiments in a vacuum to avoid interference. Overall, the discussion highlights the potential effects of electron bombardment on different materials.
PhysicsInNJ
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A friend of mine posed a question; if you take a rubber ball and bombard it with electrons, what would happen?

I posited that some of the electrons would likely stay on the surface of the ball, giving it a negative charge. I then suggested that if under the "right" conditions you may be able to have photons or some other kind of electromagnetic radiation emitted.

Am I totally off or was there some truth to what I was saying?
 
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You could certainly induce a negative surface charge.
The EM is also true, if only because "some kind of EM radiation" covers such a wide range.
By the time you got "real" EM out of the thing, you would be destroying the rubber.

... now switch to a steel ball and you can get some significant x-rays.

BTW: You should do these experiments in a vacuum.
 

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