ion accomplish this. (Hint: consider Fig. D.) ii) What do you think would be the

Question

ion accomplish this. (Hint: consider Fig. D.) ii) What do you think would be the effect on a charged particle that is placed in Fig. B. at the point ii) How would the field lines and the equipotential lines that you drew in Fig C. change if both iv) How would the field lines and the equipotential lines that you drew in each of the figures where the diagonals of the square at whose vertices the point charges are located (one at each vertex) cross? conductors had the same polarity of charge? change if the charge on each of the point charges is changed (Figures A and B) and the charge on each of the conductors is changed (Figures C and D)?

Explanation / Answer

So to understand electrostatic shielding first you need to understand what happens when a conductor is placed in uniform static electric field. When a conductor is in such a field then positives inside the conductor starts getting accumulated towards the negative plate of the electric field( Rememberthey are still inside the conductor) while the negatives move the other side inside the conductor. So this distribution will not stop until there is a balance of external field and the internal opposite field created because of the movement inside the conductor. Finally there is no electric field inside the conductor.

Now, if we create a cavity inside that conductor as shown in fig D, what will happen?

Don't forget that charge is on the surface and electric field is zero inside.

What will be the electric field inside the cavity?

It will still be zero. Just consider a gaussian surface covering that cavity, now since E = 0 inside conductor, it will also be zero inside the gaussian surface.

now by using gauss law Q = 0 inside the cavity and hence no electric field.

So whatever device we want to protect we put it inside the cavity.

For example you are inside a cavity when you are sitting in a car and thunderstorm outside, you are protected inside the car otherwise you might get electrocuted.

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