Does charge of an object depend on its mass?

Answer 1

Hi 0825 2.,

If you are buying bulk foods, generally you are charged according to the mass purchased.

If you are buying bulk foods with static electrical charges on them, most likely the total static charge accumulated depends on the charging process (e.g., friction against a plastic chute?), the force of contact, and so on.

If you are trying to charge a conductive metal object as a physics experiment, it's only dependent on the charging voltage and the effective surface area of the object (the more surface area, the more charge a given object will assume, for a fixed voltage). I say "effective", since a highly textured object will only assume the charge proportional to its general envelope shape; the charge "feels" the pathway out into space surrounding the object as it creates electric field lines, as it were.

Exceptions to this: sharply pointed objects can leak charge into surrounding air, by ionizing the air. This requires a sufficient voltage and sharpness of point. It's easier to negatively charge oxygen molecules than it is to positively charge them. Can you think why? But, that's not a retained charge, although you might register it as a current flow onto the object.

If you are a tutor seeking information, why do you not know this information already?

-- Cheers, --Mr. d.