The Electric Field Inside an induced Conductor

[hms.tech]

I don't quite grasp this statement :

Open attachment to view the image of what's going on

The field from a positive charge Q pulls electrons to the surface of the metal nearest Q, leaving a net positive charge on the surface farthest from Q. The fields of these induced charges resting on the outer surface of the metal precisely cancel the field from Q inside
the metal and inside the cavity.


Can someone help me better understand this concept using fundamental laws of Electric charges or maybe suggest some web links for further reading .

 

[mikeph]

If E were nonzero then the electrons would move in such a way to make it zero, because they are free to move. For example at the start of the experiment the electrons are attracted to the +Q charge, but as soon as one electron moves to the right side, the attraction felt by the other electrons decreases by the shielding. The electrons will continue to move until this shielding balances the +Q field, at which point the net field will be completely zero.