Question

Why is the potential constant throughout a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium?

Options

• The excess charge is distributed uniformly throughout its volume.

• The conductor's cavity contains no external charges.

• The electric field inside is zero, so no work is done moving a test charge between points inside it.

• The surface field is parallel to every interior path.

Answer 1

With zero electric field inside the conductor, moving a test charge from one interior point to another requires no work. Thus the potential is constant throughout the conductor.