Question

When a positively charged rod is brought close to a neutral conductor without touching it, will the rod experience an attractive force, a repulsive force, or no force at all? Explain

Short answer

Answer: A positively charged rod experiences an attractive force when it is brought close to a neutral conductor without touching it due to the process of electrostatic induction and the redistribution of charges within the conductor.

Step-by-step solution

Understand electrostatic induction

When a charged object is brought close to a neutral conductor but not touching it, the charges in the conductor redistribute because of the interaction between the charges. The negative charges in the conductor are attracted to the positively charged rod, while the positive charges are repelled but remain inside the conductor. This creates an electric polarization within the conductor.

Charge redistribution in the conductor

When the positively charged rod is brought close to the neutral conductor, the electrons, representing the negative charges, are attracted to the rod, accumulate on the surface of the conductor that's closer to the rod. The remaining positive charges (remain inside the conductor) will be on the surface that's farthest from the rod. This polarization establishes an electric field between the rod and the conductor.

Analyze the forces

Since opposite charges attract, the positively charged rod will experience an attractive force due to the accumulation of negative charges on the conductor's surface closer to it. The repulsion between the rod and the positive charges in the conductor is weaker as they are farther away from each other.

Conclude the explanation

Due to the electrostatic induction and charge redistribution within the neutral conductor, when a positively charged rod is brought close to it without touching, the rod experiences an attractive force from the conductor. This is because the accumulation of negative charges on the surface of the conductor closest to the rod exerts a stronger attractive force on the rod than the repulsive force from the positive charges farther away in the conductor.