In: Physics
1)What’s electric charge?
Is negative charge really “negative”?
You have a negatively charged object. Describe how can you use it to place a net negative and a net positive charge on an insulated metal sphere?
Electric charge, as is singular, refers to unit charge; which is either positive or negative. So a negative charge is single electron, or a group of many electrons, making up a finite amount of negative charge.
Similarly, positive charge is single positively charged ion ( or a group of such ions ).
Negative charge is really negative. As it is constituted by single or more electrons.
Suppose we have a negatively charged rod; it means there are more electrons which are making it negative charged. It can be simply touched to the insulated metal sphere (so that some of the negative charges move to it) to place a net negative charge on it. Similarly, Bringing the rod closer to the insulated metal sphere will induce positive charge in the area of sphere closer to the rod and on the opposite side of sphere, negative charge is induced; now this end where negative charges are localized, be earthed i.e. connected through a wire to the earth which makes some of the negative charge to move down and leave the sphere. Now as the rod is removed from the vicinity of the sphere, it is left with a net positive charge.