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Textbook Solutions for College Physics

Chapter 18 Problem 38

Question

Sketch the electric field lines in the vicinity of the conductor in Figure \(18.49\) given the field was originally uniform and parallel to the object’s long axis. Is the resulting field small near the long side of the object?

Figure \(18.49\)

Solution

Solution 38PE

Step 1 of 4

Conductors contain free charges that can move freely. When excess charge is placed on the conductor it gets distributed on the surface of conductor uniformly. Moreover when a conductor is placed in a electric field charges get rearranged and the steady state known as electrostatic equilibrium.

Under of effect of electric field the free charge move until the field is perpendicular to the surface. No component of field can be parallel to surface because if the parallel component of field is present it will further move the charge till the field on this charge becomes perpendicular.

Further, the charges on the conductor get polarized under the effect of electric field. The free charges move inside the conductor, polarizing it, until the field becomes perpendicular to the surface.

1

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Title College Physics  1 
Author Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs
ISBN 9781938168000

Solved: Sketch the electric field lines in the vicinity of

Chapter 18 textbook questions

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