All Problems

Conductors and Dielectrics in an Electric Field

Problem 3.70

When an uncharged conducting ball of radius RR is placed in an external uniform electric field, a surface charge density σ\sigma =σ0cosθ=\sigma_{0} \cos \theta is induced on the ball's surface (here σ0\sigma_{0} is a constant, θ\theta is a polar angle). Find the magnitude of the resultant electric force acting on an induced charge of the same sign.

Reveal Answer
F=1/4πR2σ02/ε0F=1 / 4 \pi R^{2} \sigma_{0}^{2} / \varepsilon_{0}