electrostatics

Post Reply
kolahalb
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Jan 11, 2007 2:09 pm

electrostatics

Post by kolahalb » Mon Feb 26, 2007 7:50 am

Well,I think this is interesting.I invite people to think over it.
consider a charged spherical shell.Throughout its interior,E=0.
Now,consider the centre.From Laplace's equation and Earnshaw's theorem,this point is not a point of potential minimum.So,a charge at this point cannot be in stable equilibrium.Say,you displace it slightly.
What do you find.It just gets stagnant where you left it!
If this is not a point of stable eqlbm,it is not also a point of unstable equilibrium.
So,is it a point of neutral equilibrium?
Apparently seems so.But,I wish to confirm.

CPT
Posts: 77
Joined: Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:05 am

Post by CPT » Mon Feb 26, 2007 10:15 am

Yes, you're right. More interestingly, it's not just the centre but every point in the interior that's a point of neutral equilibrium, the potential is constant in the whole region.



Post Reply