Practice question
Question
What characteristic of conductors allows charges to distribute uniformly over their surface when placed
in an external electric field?
Explanation
**Vector addition of forces** underlies multi-charge analysis. Each pair contributes independent Coulomb force, resultant obtained by resolving components along axes. Equilibrium occurs when vector sum vanishes, often at symmetric points where contributions balance. In conductors, charges (free electrons) can move freely. In an external field, they redistribute until the internal field cancels the external field, achieving equilibrium. This results in charges residing only on the surface, distributed uniformly for a spherical conductor due to symmetry. Substituting values gives Mobility of charges, which matches expected magnitude for this electrostatic configuration, confirming Coulomb's and Gauss's principles and charge quantization consistency.
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