### Correct Option: C ### Detailed Explanation: When a negatively charged rod is brought near a neutral metal sphere, the charges within the sphere undergo a process called **electrostatic induction**. Here’s a step-by-step breakdown of what happens: 1. **Understanding Charge Distribution**: - A neutral metal sphere has an equal number of positive and negative charges, which are uniformly distributed throughout the sphere. The positive charges are due to protons in the atomic nuclei, while the negative charges are due to electrons. 2. **Bringing the Negatively Charged Rod Near**: - When the negatively charged rod is brought close to the sphere, the electric field created by the rod influences the charges in the sphere. The negative charges (electrons) in the sphere are repelled by the negative charge of the rod. 3. **Charge Redistribution**: - As the electrons are repelled, they move away from the side of the sphere that is closest to the rod. This movement causes the side of the sphere nearest to the rod to become positively charged (due to a deficit of electrons), while the side farthest from the rod accumulates excess electrons, becoming negatively charged. 4. **Resulting Charge Distribution**: - The sphere does not gain or lose overall charge; it remains neutral in total. However, it now has a **separation of charge**: one side is positively charged, and the other side is negatively charged. This is a key point of electrostatic induction. 5. **Attraction to the Rod**: - The positively charged side of the sphere is attracted to the negatively charged rod, while the negatively charged side is repelled. However, the attraction between the rod and the positively charged side of the sphere is stronger than the repulsion from the negatively charged side, leading to an overall attraction of the sphere towards the rod. ### Why Other Options Are Incorrect: - **Option A: The sphere becomes positively charged and attracts the rod.** - This option is misleading. While the sphere does develop a positive charge on one side, it does not become overall positively charged. The sphere remains neutral overall due to the redistribution of charges. - **Option B: The sphere becomes negatively charged and repels the rod.** - This is incorrect because the sphere does not become negatively charged overall. Instead, it has a separation of charge, with one side becoming positively charged and the other side negatively charged. The sphere does not repel the rod; it is attracted to it. - **Option D: The sphere remains neutral with no charge redistribution.** - This option is incorrect because the presence of the negatively charged rod causes a redistribution of charges within the sphere. The charges do not remain static; they move in response to the electric field created by the rod. ### Summary of Key Points: - **Electrostatic Induction**: The process by which charges within a conductor redistribute in response to an external electric field. - **Charge Redistribution**: The sphere develops a positive charge on the side closest to the rod and a negative charge on the opposite side. - **Overall Neutrality**: The sphere remains neutral overall, but with a separation of charge. - **Attraction**: The positively charged side of the sphere is attracted to the negatively charged rod, leading to an overall attraction between the two. This understanding of charge behavior is fundamental in electrostatics and helps explain many phenomena in physics related to electric fields and forces.