Two parallel plates, each charged equally and oppositely to the other, are separated by 3.6000 cm. A proton is let go from rest at the positive plate's surface and, at the same time, an electron is let go from rest at the negative plate's surface. What is the distance between the negative plate and the point where the proton and the electron go by each other?

a= force/mass

Now the force is the same, so mass is different, so the acceleration of the electron will be much greater. I iwll figure the mass of the proton is about 1740 x the mass of the electron.
distance de, dp
de=1/2 F*1740*t^2
dp=1/2 F*1*t^2 and the time for each is the same.
So divide de by dp
de/dp=1740
de=1740dp
but dp+de=3.5
dP1741=3.6000
dp= that is the distance from the +Plate where they meet.
Elcectrons are fast.

what are the units for the answer?

To find the distance between the negative plate and the point where the proton and the electron pass each other, we need to consider the motion of each particle separately and then determine when they meet.

First, let's calculate the initial velocities of the proton and the electron when they are released from rest. We can use the equation for the electric field between the parallel plates:

E = V/d

where E is the electric field, V is the voltage between the plates, and d is the distance between the plates.

Since the plates are charged equally and oppositely, the electric field between them is uniform. Let's assume the positive plate is at a higher potential, so the proton will accelerate towards the negative plate, and the electron will accelerate towards the positive plate.

Given:
Distance between the plates (d) = 3.6000 cm = 0.036000 m

The voltage (V) between the plates is not provided. To calculate it, we need more information such as the charge on the plates or the capacitance of the setup. Please provide any additional information if available.

Once we have the voltage (V), we can calculate the electric field (E) using the equation mentioned above.

Next, we can use the electric field to determine the initial acceleration (a) of the proton and the electron using Newton's second law:

F = ma

where F is the net force experienced by the particle, m is its mass, and a is its acceleration.

For the proton:
Force on the proton (F_p) = q_p * E

For the electron:
Force on the electron (F_e) = q_e * E

where q_p is the charge of the proton, q_e is the charge of the electron, and E is the electric field.

The magnitude of the electric field is the same for both particles since they are released from the same voltage, resulting in the same acceleration. However, the direction of the acceleration will be different for the proton and the electron due to their opposite charges.

Once we know the initial acceleration of each particle, we can apply the equations of motion to find their positions as functions of time. Then, we can set their positions equal to each other to find the time (t) at which they meet.

Finally, we can use the time (t) to calculate the distance (s) between the negative plate and the point where the proton and the electron pass each other using the equation:

s = v * t

where v is the velocity of either the proton or the electron at the time they meet.

If you can provide the voltage (V) between the plates or any additional information, I can help you with the specific calculations.