Question

is it necessary for a charged body to actually touch the ball of the electroscope for the leaves to diverge

Answer 1

Answer:

Yes.

Explanation:

Conduction of electricity is not possible without making physical contact with the conductive material of the electroscope. if the charged body is hovering above the conductor, no charge will flow for the leaves to diverge since the air between the charged body and conductor acts as a insulator(air is a bad conductor)