If two pith balls - one which is neutral and another which has a charge of -9.6 uC (micro-Coulombs) - are touched together, how many extra electrons will each ball have?
To determine the number of extra electrons transferred when two pith balls are touched together, we need to consider the charge on both balls.
1. Convert the charge of -9.6 μC into Coulombs:
- Remember that 1 μC (micro-Coulomb) is equal to 10^-6 Coulombs.
- Therefore, -9.6 μC is equal to -9.6 × 10^-6 C.
2. Recall that one elementary charge is equal to 1.6 × 10^-19 C.
Therefore, divide the charge of the pith ball (-9.6 × 10^-6 C) by the elementary charge (1.6 × 10^-19 C) to find the number of extra electrons:
-9.6 × 10^-6 C ÷ 1.6 × 10^-19 C ≈ -6 × 10^13
This means that each pith ball will have approximately 6 × 10^13 excess electrons after being touched together.