If a charge of +Q is uniformly distributed over a spherical shell of radius R, what is the electric field inside the shell?
Practice Questions
1 question
Q1
If a charge of +Q is uniformly distributed over a spherical shell of radius R, what is the electric field inside the shell?
0
Q/4πε₀R²
Q/ε₀R²
Q/4πε₀
By Gauss's law, the electric field inside a uniformly charged spherical shell is zero.
Questions & Step-by-step Solutions
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Q
Q: If a charge of +Q is uniformly distributed over a spherical shell of radius R, what is the electric field inside the shell?
Solution: By Gauss's law, the electric field inside a uniformly charged spherical shell is zero.
Steps: 5
Step 1: Understand that we have a spherical shell with a charge of +Q evenly spread over its surface.
Step 2: Recall that the electric field is a measure of the force that a charge would feel in the presence of other charges.
Step 3: Remember Gauss's law, which states that the electric field can be determined by looking at the symmetry of the charge distribution.
Step 4: Recognize that inside a uniformly charged spherical shell, the charge on the shell does not create any electric field at points inside the shell.
Step 5: Conclude that the electric field inside the shell is zero because the contributions from all parts of the shell cancel each other out.