7. Two metal spheres are suspended from insulating threads. A negatively charged rod is brought near these spheres. One sphere is pushed away from the rod and the other is attracted toward it. Describe the behavior of the spheres.
SOLUTION:
----> {Metal sphere attracted to negative rod is positively charged. Metal sphere repelled by negative rod is also negatively charged. When released, the two spheres will thus move toward each other (opposites attract)
Correct or no?
Maybe. But consider the pushed away sphere being negative, but the attracted sphere being neutral. What would happen then? Remember the spheres are metal, and the charges on it can move about.
Correct. The sphere that is attracted toward the negatively charged rod is positively charged. This is because opposite charges attract each other. On the other hand, the sphere that is repelled by the negatively charged rod is negatively charged. This is because like charges repel each other. When the spheres are released, they will move towards each other because opposite charges attract.
Correct.
Explanation:
When a negatively charged rod is brought near the two metal spheres, the behavior observed is due to the principle of charge interaction. Like charges repel each other, and opposite charges attract each other.
In this scenario, the negatively charged rod polarizes the charges in the two metal spheres. The sphere that is attracted toward the negatively charged rod gains a positive charge, while the sphere that is repelled by the rod gains a negative charge.
This occurs because the negative charges in the sphere that is closer to the rod are repelled, leaving an excess of positive charges on that side. Similarly, the negatively charged rod induces a redistribution of charges in the sphere that is further away, leading to an excess of negative charges on that side.
Based on this charge distribution, the positively charged metal sphere is attracted to the negatively charged rod, while the negatively charged metal sphere is repelled by it.
If these spheres are released from their initial positions, they will move towards each other. This is because opposite charges attract each other, causing them to move closer until they reach a state of equilibrium where the force between them is balanced.