Question

Out of the following statements, choose the correct option(s) about a perfect conductor.

• A. The conductor has an equipotential surface
• B. Net charge, if any, resides only on the surface of conductor
• C. Electric field cannot exist inside the conductor
• D. Just outside the conductor, the electric field is always perpendicular to its surface

Hint:

In electrostatics, the electric field inside a conductor is zero, and any excess charge resides on the surface. The electric field just outside the surface is perpendicular to it.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A, B, C, D

Step 1: Understanding properties of perfect conductors.
A perfect conductor is a material in which the free electrons move without resistance. In electrostatic equilibrium, several key properties hold: 1. The surface of the conductor is an equipotential surface because the electric field inside the conductor is zero. 2. Any net charge on a conductor resides on the surface, as charges move to the surface to cancel out the electric field inside. 3. The electric field is zero inside the conductor because the free electrons rearrange to cancel any internal electric field. 4. Just outside the conductor, the electric field is perpendicular to the surface, as the electric field lines cannot have a component parallel to the surface in electrostatic equilibrium.

Step 2: Analyzing the options.
(A) The conductor has an equipotential surface: Correct. The entire surface of a conductor is an equipotential in electrostatic equilibrium.
(B) Net charge, if any, resides only on the surface of conductor: Correct. Any excess charge resides on the surface of the conductor.
(C) Electric field cannot exist inside the conductor: Correct. The electric field inside a conductor is zero in electrostatic equilibrium.
(D) Just outside the conductor, the electric field is always perpendicular to its surface: Correct. The electric field just outside a conductor is normal (perpendicular) to the surface.

Step 3: Conclusion.
All the statements are correct, so the correct answer is (A), (B), (C), (D).