Question

Draw some electric field lines and a few equipotential surfaces outside a negatively charged hollow conducting sphere. What shape are the equipotential surfaces?

Short answer

Answer: The equipotential surfaces outside a negatively charged hollow conducting sphere are spherical in shape and centered on the sphere itself.

Step-by-step solution

Draw the sphere and its electric field lines

Begin by drawing a negatively charged hollow conducting sphere. Electric field lines around the sphere should point inward, towards the negatively charged surface of the sphere. The lines should be evenly spaced around the sphere.

Determine the direction of equipotential surfaces

Recall that equipotential surfaces are always perpendicular to the electric field lines. Therefore, equipotential surfaces around the negatively charged sphere will be centered on the sphere and have a spherical shape.

Draw equipotential surfaces

Start with one equipotential surface close to the sphere, with a spherical shape centered on the sphere. As you move further away from the sphere, draw additional equipotential surfaces with a larger radius than the previous surface. These surfaces should also maintain a spherical shape and be centered on the sphere.

Analyze the shape of the equipotential surfaces

As we can see from steps 2 and 3, the equipotential surfaces around the negatively charged hollow conducting sphere have a spherical shape, centered on the negatively charged sphere. In conclusion, the equipotential surfaces outside a negatively charged hollow conducting sphere are spherical in shape and centered on the sphere itself.