Why Is the Electric Field Inside a Conductor Zero?

[planesinspace]

I seem to be having trouble grasping a very basic principle in electromagnetism. I have been told, in numerous places, that the electric field inside a conductor is zero. (Electrostatics). Yet I keep coming across problems in the textbook like this one:

"Use Gauss's Law to find the electric field inside a uniformly charged sphere (charge density 'ro')."

where for Q[enclosed] = charge density * volume

However, don't all the charges move to the surface of the sphere? and the electric field IN the sphere is subsequently zero?

 

[Feldoh]

uniformly charged sphere =/= conductor in all cases.

 

[Studiot]

the electric field inside a conductor is zero. (Electrostatics).

Yes this is true so long as there is not current flowing - all charges are stationary.

As soon as a current flows there is a field.

 

[ZapperZ]

Yes this is true so long as there is not current flowing - all charges are stationary.

As soon as a current flows there is a field.

The OP did indicate that this is Electrostatics. So there is no need to make such qualification.

Feldoh has sufficiently answered the question here, that just because one has a spherical charge, it doesn't mean that one also has a conducting sphere.

Zz.