On the capacitance of a sphere in the presence of another nearby conducting sphere

We present the numerical analysis of the capacitance dependence of a conducting sphere on the distance to another sphere and its relative size. Among other results, we find that the greatest deviations from the model of a secluded sphere are observed for the case of the presence of infinite conducting plane near it. We provide a simple physical explanation of this fact. For example, our numerical calculations show that the value of relative error in the determination of the sphere capacitance is equal to 5% if the distance from the sphere center to the infinite plate is ten times more than its radius. The consideration of this problem will be useful for advanced undergraduates, who study the methods for solving electrostatic problems.

Keywords
Capacitance; model of a secluded sphere; electrostatics of two close conducting spheres.