Can anyone in detail explain when a positive charge attracts to a neutral object

Question

Can anyone in detail explain when a positive charge attracts to a neutral object the neutral object becomes polarized where the negative and positive charges are split and the charge will attract to the negative charges. But what about the positive charges? Do they create a field behind the conductor or what do they do or create? Can anyone in detail explain when a positive charge attracts to a neutral object the neutral object becomes polarized where the negative and positive charges are split and the charge will attract to the negative charges. But what about the positive charges? Do they create a field behind the conductor or what do they do or create?

Explanation / Answer

This is the phenomenon of electrostatic induction.

Since "neutral" objects are made out of many positive and negative charges in equal measure, some of which can move, the presence of an electric field from a charged object will move these charges, and result in a region of opposite (to the object creating the field) charge where the neutral object is nearest to the charged object, and this will indeed result in an attraction between the formerly neutral object and the charged object.

Therefore, we cannot conclude from the attraction of two conducting objects that they must have the opposite charge - one of them may well be uncharged.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse C
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.