Hello!
I'm having problems understanding some things about the electric field inside a conducture.
1)
First of all, the electric field inside a conducture is suposed to be zero in a STATIC SITUATION. What does that mean - that the electrons do not move or that the whole conductor does not move even when exposed to an outside electric field?
For a charged conducter the situation is clear. The electrons repel each other, race to the surface and create a 0 electric field inside the conductor.(if I'm wrong please correct me)
But what if the conductor (let's say a metal sphere) is exposed to an external electric field (say to a uniform field from a positively charged plate)?
2)
Would the whole sphere move or stand in place? It should move, right?
3)
How can E be 0 in the sphere? The electrons would move to one side and the force on them has to be 0. But what causes the force which opposes the one caused by the charged plate? To some extent probably the positively charged particles. But what if the external field is too big? The number of positively charged particles is limited after all and the force they exert is therefore also limited, right?
Is this the case when the lightnig strikes? But if this happens then the field inside the sphere again can't be 0. Ant the external field also doesn't reduce to zero becaude there is simply not enough electrons in the sphere to neutralize the ones on the plate if it is considered to be large.
Now that the sphere is missing electrons it would definitely move, right?
I've been turnig around in circles like this for quite some time
If anyone could shed any light on this I would be very greateful.
Thanks
I'm having problems understanding some things about the electric field inside a conducture.
1)
First of all, the electric field inside a conducture is suposed to be zero in a STATIC SITUATION. What does that mean - that the electrons do not move or that the whole conductor does not move even when exposed to an outside electric field?
For a charged conducter the situation is clear. The electrons repel each other, race to the surface and create a 0 electric field inside the conductor.(if I'm wrong please correct me)
But what if the conductor (let's say a metal sphere) is exposed to an external electric field (say to a uniform field from a positively charged plate)?
2)
Would the whole sphere move or stand in place? It should move, right?
3)
How can E be 0 in the sphere? The electrons would move to one side and the force on them has to be 0. But what causes the force which opposes the one caused by the charged plate? To some extent probably the positively charged particles. But what if the external field is too big? The number of positively charged particles is limited after all and the force they exert is therefore also limited, right?
Is this the case when the lightnig strikes? But if this happens then the field inside the sphere again can't be 0. Ant the external field also doesn't reduce to zero becaude there is simply not enough electrons in the sphere to neutralize the ones on the plate if it is considered to be large.
Now that the sphere is missing electrons it would definitely move, right?
I've been turnig around in circles like this for quite some time
If anyone could shed any light on this I would be very greateful.
Thanks