Spherical Conductor Question

[cranincu]

Homework Statement

http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/6503/questiono.jpg

Not sure which equations, pretty sure anything goes for find e fields like guass. I'm not even sure of the behavior of the system. Two conducting spheres with a charge on them, the field of each one just be Q/4pi(eps_0)R^2; but there's a wire attaching them?

 

[Cyosis]

The conducting wire allows for charge to move from one sphere to another. Eventually things will balance out and the charges stop moving. When this happens what can you say about the potential?

 

[nlightner]

I would approach this problem by first considering the behavior of the system as a whole. The presence of the wire connecting the two conducting spheres suggests that they are connected in some way and may influence each other's electric fields.

To determine the electric field at any point in the system, we can use Gauss's law, which states that the electric flux through a closed surface is equal to the enclosed charge divided by the permittivity of the medium.

In this case, we can consider the two conducting spheres as two separate closed surfaces, each with its own enclosed charge. The electric field at any point between the spheres will be the sum of the electric fields due to each sphere individually.

The presence of the wire connecting the spheres may also create a potential difference between them, which could influence the electric field between them. This potential difference can be calculated using Ohm's law, which relates the potential difference to the current flowing through the wire and the resistance of the wire.

In summary, to fully understand the behavior of this system, we would need to consider the individual electric fields of the two spheres, the potential difference created by the connecting wire, and how these factors interact with each other. Further analysis and equations would be needed to fully solve this problem.