A hollow conducting sphere of radius R = 15 cm carries a uniformly distributed charge Q = +20 C . A small test charge q = +2 C is moved from point A to point B along the arbitrary path shown in the figure. Point A is at a distance of 4 cm from the center O , and point B lies on the surface of the sphere. What is the work done by the electric field on the test charge during this process? (Take 1 4 ₀ = 9 10^9 N m ^2 C

Step-by-step solution

For a hollow conducting sphere, the given charge Q resides entirely on its outer surface. The electric field inside a conductor is zero under electrostatic conditions. Therefore, the electric field at any point inside the sphere (where r Since the electric field is zero everywhere inside, the electric potential is constant throughout the interior volume of the sphere and is equal to the potential on its surface. Thus, the potential at point A (which is inside the sphere at r = 4 cm ) is equal to the potential at po