Charging is not the only way to activate electric forces…
A charged body can exert forces even on objects that are not charged themselves. Why? Due to an inhomogeneous charge distribution.
- In a metal: electrons accumulate in a certain region as they can move freely
- In an insulator: induced dipoles orientate towards the charged body.
- In polar liquids: molecules orientate towards the charged body. ![[Pasted image 20240306142050.png]] ![[Pasted image 20240306142054.png]]
https://youtu.be/oaZADiH_gRY - Polarization of a metal https://youtu.be/oaZADiH_gRY - Polarization + conduction https://youtu.be/Ns_HVQmuMTY - Polarization of a liquid (each water molecule is an electric dipole)!
Ohm's Law