What is the term for the redistribution of charge within an atom when a nearby negatively charged object attracts the protons?

What is the term for the redistribution of charge within an atom when a nearby negatively charged object attracts the protons?

• A. Electrostatic shielding
• B. Conduction
• C. Electric polarization
• D. Ionization

Answer: (C)

When an external electric field is present, the charges inside an atom rearrange themselves slightly. The electron cloud shifts relative to the nucleus, creating a small separation of positive and negative charge, or a dipole. This self-arrangement due to a nearby negative object is electric polarization: the atom becomes polarized because its internal charges redistribute without gaining or losing overall charge. That’s why this term fits best. The other ideas describe different processes: shielding is about canceling external fields (often in conductors), conduction is the flow of charge from one place to another, and ionization is the removal of electrons from the atom.

When an external electric field is present, the charges inside an atom rearrange themselves slightly. The electron cloud shifts relative to the nucleus, creating a small separation of positive and negative charge, or a dipole. This self-arrangement due to a nearby negative object is electric polarization: the atom becomes polarized because its internal charges redistribute without gaining or losing overall charge.

That’s why this term fits best. The other ideas describe different processes: shielding is about canceling external fields (often in conductors), conduction is the flow of charge from one place to another, and ionization is the removal of electrons from the atom.