Question
Question: 10 C of charge is given to a conducting spherical shell and a -3 C point charge is placed inside the...
10 C of charge is given to a conducting spherical shell and a -3 C point charge is placed inside the shell. For this arrangement, markout the correct statement(s) -
The charge on the inner surface of the shell will be +3 C and it can be distributed uniformly or nonuniformly
The charge on the inner surface of the shell will be +3 C and its distribution would be uniform
The net charge on outer surface of the shell will be +7 C and its distribution can be uniform or non - uniform
The net charge on outer surface of the shell will be +7 C and its distribution would be uniform
A, D
Solution
A -3 C point charge inside a conducting shell induces a +3 C charge on the inner surface of the shell to maintain zero electric field within the conductor. This induced charge distributes non-uniformly if the point charge is off-center, and uniformly if it is at the center. The total charge on the shell is +10 C. Since +3 C is on the inner surface, the remaining charge, +10 C - 3 C = +7 C, resides on the outer surface. In the absence of external electric fields, the charge on the outer surface of a spherical conductor distributes uniformly.