Two similar conducting spheres are separated by a distance d. One sphere carries charge +Q and the other carries -Q. They each feel an attractive force F. If two third of the charge on the negative sphere is transferred to the positive sphere, what is the magnitude of the new attractive force?

1 answer

Let's denote the two similar conducting spheres as sphere A and sphere B. Sphere A carries charge +Q and sphere B carries charge -Q. The force of attraction between two charges can be given by Coulomb's law:

\[ F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{d^2} \]

where \(F\) is the force between the charges, \(k\) is Coulomb's constant, \(q_1\) and \(q_2\) are the magnitudes of the charges, and \(d\) is the distance between the charges.

Initially, we have:

  • Sphere A: \( +Q \)
  • Sphere B: \( -Q \)

The initial attractive force is:

\[ F = k \frac{Q^2}{d^2} \]

Now, we transfer \( \frac{2}{3} \) of the charge from sphere B (which is -Q) to sphere A. The total charge transferred is:

\[ \frac{2}{3} \cdot (-Q) = -\frac{2Q}{3} \]

After the transfer, the charges on the spheres become:

  • Sphere A: \( +Q - \frac{2Q}{3} = +\frac{Q}{3} \)
  • Sphere B: \( -Q + \frac{2Q}{3} = -\frac{Q}{3} \)

Now, we calculate the new attractive force \( F' \) between the spheres with the new charges:

\[ F' = k \frac{\left| \frac{Q}{3} \cdot \left( -\frac{Q}{3} \right) \right|}{d^2} \]

Calculating the product of the charges:

\[ \left|\frac{Q}{3} \cdot -\frac{Q}{3}\right| = \frac{Q^2}{9} \]

Thus, the new force \( F' \) is given by:

\[ F' = k \frac{\frac{Q^2}{9}}{d^2} = \frac{1}{9} \left( k \frac{Q^2}{d^2} \right) = \frac{F}{9} \]

Therefore, the magnitude of the new attractive force is:

\[ \boxed{\frac{F}{9}} \]