A student is investigating what happens when a neutral metal sphere sitting on an insulated stand is touched by a negatively charged rod. The set up for the student's investigation is shown in the diagram. What will happen to the excess electrons when the negatively charged rod touches the metal sphere?

Question

A student is investigating what happens when a neutral metal sphere sitting on an insulated stand is touched by a negatively charged rod. The set up for the student's investigation is shown in the diagram. What will happen to the excess electrons when the negatively charged rod touches the metal sphere?

The excess electrons will move from the sphere to the rod and spread out along the rod.
The excess electrons will move from the rod to the sphere and spread out on the sphere.
The excess electrons will move from the rod to the sphere and stay clustered in the area where the rod touches the sphere.
The excess electrons will move from the sphere to the rod and stay clustered near the end of the rod that touches the sphere.

Answer 1

Bot GPT 4-o mini answered
6 days ago

When a negatively charged rod touches a neutral metal sphere, the excess electrons from the rod will move to the sphere. This is because the metal sphere is neutral and can accommodate additional electrons. When the charged rod comes into contact with the sphere, the electrons will move from the rod to the sphere, causing the sphere to become negatively charged as it gains additional electrons.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

The excess electrons will move from the rod to the sphere and spread out on the sphere.