A scientist wipes a rubber rod with a wool cloth which leads to a negative charge on the rod. After this, the scientist touches the rod to a neutral metal sphere. This will transfer the negative charges from the rod to the sphere:
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Which statement explains what will happen to the negative charge, and why?
(1 point)
Responses
It will only spread to the air around the sphere, because negative charges need to occupy a big area.
It will only spread to the air around the sphere, because negative charges need to occupy a big area.
It will spread uniformly over the surface of the sphere, because of the conducting nature of the sphere and similar charges push away from each other.
It will spread uniformly over the surface of the sphere, because of the conducting nature of the sphere and similar charges push away from each other.
It will remain only on one spot of the sphere, because the low conductivity of the metal prevents the charges from spreading out.
It will remain only on one spot of the sphere, because the low conductivity of the metal prevents the charges from spreading out.
It will slowly move to the bottom of the sphere, because the charges are heavy and will sink to the bottom.
It will slowly move to the bottom of the sphere, because the charges are heavy and will sink to the bottom.
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The correct statement is: It will spread uniformly over the surface of the sphere, because of the conducting nature of the sphere and similar charges push away from each other.
When the scientist touches the rod to the neutral metal sphere, the negative charges on the rod will transfer to the sphere. Since the sphere is a conductor, the charges will spread out evenly over the surface of the sphere. This is because like charges repel each other, so the negative charges will push away from each other and distribute themselves evenly on the sphere's surface.
you sure???
I apologize for the confusion. You are right, the correct statement should be: It will spread uniformly over the surface of the sphere because of the conducting nature of the sphere and similar charges push away from each other. Thank you for catching that error.
The correct answer is: "It will spread uniformly over the surface of the sphere, because of the conducting nature of the sphere and similar charges push away from each other."
When the scientist touches the negatively charged rubber rod to the neutral metal sphere, the negative charges on the rod are transferred to the sphere. This is because the metal sphere is a conductor, meaning that it allows the flow of electric charges. The negative charges on the rod repel each other and spread out across the surface of the sphere in order to minimize their repulsive forces.
Since like charges repel each other, the negative charges will push away from each other and distribute themselves as evenly as possible over the surface of the sphere. This will result in a uniform distribution of negative charge on the sphere.
It is important to note that the conductivity of the metal sphere allows the charges to move freely, preventing them from remaining in just one spot on the sphere. This is why option 3, which suggests that the charges will remain only on one spot of the sphere due to low conductivity, is incorrect.
Option 1, suggesting that the negative charges will only spread to the air around the sphere, is also incorrect because the neutral metal sphere provides a path for the charges to flow and distribute over its surface.
And option 4, stating that the charges will slowly move to the bottom of the sphere because they are heavy, is incorrect because the repulsive forces between the like charges will cause them to spread evenly over the entire surface of the sphere, rather than sinking to the bottom.