Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

Electric Field Question

Okay, my students have stumped me.

Say you have a hollow metallic spherical shell of radius a with charge q(a). Concentric to that is a hollow metallic spherical shell of radius b with charge q(b).

Now we get what happens when the charges are the same sign.

Now what through me off is what if q(a) and q(b) have opposite signs. What would the electric field be outside both spheres. I realize it won't change the answer inside sphere a or inbetween the spheres. But will the electric field outside the spheres be zero? I can't imagine they would cancel out?

Thanks
Tina

Tina Fanetti
Physics Instructor
Western Iowa Technical Community College
4647 Stone Ave
Sioux City IA 51102
712-274-8733 ext 1429