Answer
(a) The net charge on sphere 1 is negative.
(b) Sphere 2 has the same magnitude of net charge as sphere 1, but the net charge on sphere 2 is positive.
Work Step by Step
(a) When the positively charged rod is brought near the conducting spheres, some electrons from sphere 2 move to sphere 1 since the electrons are attracted to the positive charges on the rod. When the two spheres are separated, the electrons which were transferred remain on sphere 1. Since sphere 1 has gained electrons, the net charge on sphere 1 is negative.
(b) Since sphere 2 lost the same number of electrons that sphere 1 gained, sphere 2 has the same magnitude of net charge as sphere 1, but the net charge on sphere 2 is positive.
