Purcell tells that for conductors in electrostatic condition with no charges inside the conductor , we might be tempted to say electric field should be zero. But he reasons that there might be other forces , then he gives examples like gravitational forces which totally makes sense but then as in real world gravity it there so why in most cases we say zero field inside or in actual its close to zero but not zero field inside rhe conductor ? ( For close to zero reason is due to very small force gravitational is compared to electrical )
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$\begingroup$ Remember that charges can rearrange themselves in a conductor, even if it's strangely shaped $\endgroup$– TriatticusCommented Jun 29, 2022 at 17:34
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of course, gravity technically has effects on anything with momentum. the way gravity works is by bending the space. in such a small scale, like an electron, the curvature of space around earth is practically non-existence. but if we take things to blackhole levels of gravity, even electrons can be affected, because the space bends so much that even in quantum scales it has major effects.
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$\begingroup$ I don't think this addresses the question at all, the question is why we say the electric field in an isolated conductor is zero but that there might be a gravitational field if the body isn't rotationally symmetric. $\endgroup$ Commented Jun 29, 2022 at 19:36