Re: [Phys-l] Electric potential of charged spheres

[Paul Nord <Paul.Nord@valpo.edu>]

I'll bite...

Since they have the same capacitance, sphere 1 will have 9 units of charge and sphere 2 will have 1 unit.  They'll share that equally once they touch.  After you move them far apart again they will each have a potential of 5 V.

The capacitance of two spheres in contact is a much more complex question.  They would have a larger capacitance than the sum of the two spheres individually.  The voltage would therefore be lower than 5 V.

Paul

On Nov 28, 2011, at 10:09 AM, Fakhruddin, Hasan wrote:

> Greetings folks!
>
> Here is a question we can enjoy (hopefully) discussing:
>
> Two identical conducting spheres are initially neutral and far apart.  They are now charged to the potentials of V1 = 9 V and V2 = 1 V respectively. They are now brought closer and placed in contact allowing the charges to redistribute.
>
> After the equilibrium is reached, what are the potentials of these two spheres?
>
> ~ Hasan Fakhruddin
> Instructor of Physics
> The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics, and Humanities
> Ball State University
> Muncie,IN 47306
>
> _______________________________________________
> Forum for Physics Educators
> Phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu
> https://carnot.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l