Basic Electrostatics System
Model No. ES-9080
20
!
Analysis
1.
What produced the charge distributions at each step of the experiment?
2.
Why did any charge remain on the second sphere even after it was
grounded?
Extra Things to Try
1.
To show that the charge on a conductor always resides on the outside
surface, bend a flexible sheet of metal into a cylinder. Charge the
cylinder and measure the charge density in the inner and outer
surfaces. Notice that charge is always on the outside.
2.
To show how the surface shape affects charge density, try touching
two charged proof planes together so that they are symmetrical
around their point of contact. Measure the charge on each. Next
touch them in an asymmetrical manner and measure the charge in
each. Does one have more charge than the other? Which one? (Be
sure to eliminate stray charges from necks and handles, to prevent
erroneous readings.)
Symmetric Planes
Asymmetric Planes
Figure 2.2: Test of Different Sampling Configurations
