Due to friction with the Earth's atmosphere, a large static electric charge could build up on our plummeting asteroid fragment. Would you expect our fragment to generate a magnetic field? Explain why or why not.
To determine whether the fragment would generate a magnetic field due to its large static electric charge, we need to understand the connection between electric charges and magnetic fields.
According to electromagnetism, magnetic fields are generated by the flow of electric charges. Moving electric charges create circular magnetic fields around them. However, static electric charges (charges that are not in motion) do not generate magnetic fields on their own.
In the case of the asteroid fragment plummeting through Earth's atmosphere, the static electric charge would indeed build up due to friction. This could lead to a separation of charges, with excess positive or negative charges accumulating on different parts of the fragment.
However, since the fragment is not in motion and the charges are static, there would not be any significant flow of electric charges. Therefore, the static electric charge on the fragment would not generate a magnetic field in itself.
It's important to note that if the fragment were to interact with Earth's magnetic field, the movement of charged particles caused by that interaction could result in the generation of magnetic fields. This would be a different mechanism than the static charge alone generating a magnetic field.
In summary, a large static electric charge on a plummeting asteroid fragment would not generate a magnetic field on its own due to the lack of moving electric charges.