Question

Charge is added to a spherical conductor of radius 20.0 cm.

(a) If the maximum electrical field the air surrounding the sphere can sustain without the molecules being ionized is 3.00 × 10⁶ V/m, what is the maximum charge that can be placed on the sphere?

Let the charge placed on the sphere be 5.00 μC.

(b) What is the potential at the surface of the sphere?

(c) What is the potential at a point located 10.0 cm from the center of the sphere?

(d) What is the potential at a point located outside the sphere at a distance of 5.00 cm from the surface of the sphere?

Answer 1

Let charge Q can be placed on the sphere that can be sustained .

a = radius of sphere = 20 cm = 0.2 m

The electric field at the surface of spherical conductor having charge Q and radius a = ()

The electric field at the surface of sphere must be less than 3.00* 10⁶ V/m.

C

b ) .

potential at the surface of spherical conductor having charge Q and radius a = ()

V

V

c ) .

All inside points are equipotential and their potential is equal to potential of surface .

The potential at an inside point of spherical conductor is constant which is .

= 2.25 * 10⁵ V (same as that of question b)

d ) .

The potential due to spherical conductor having charge Q and radius 'a' at a distance 'r' from the center of sphere (where r>a) = .

here r = 20 + 5 cm

= 25 cm

= 0.25 m

V

V