Three microcoulomb (uC) are placed at a separate corner of a square with each side measuring 5 cm. The two charges located at opposite vertices are negative, and the other given charge is positive. Calculate the force experience by a fourth 3uC when placed at the missing corner.

Question

Three microcoulomb (uC) are placed at a separate corner of a square with each side measuring 5 cm. The two charges located at opposite vertices are negative, and the other given charge is positive. Calculate the force experience by a fourth 3uC when placed at the missing corner.

Answer 1

To calculate the force experienced by the fourth charge when placed at the missing corner, we can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Let's break down the steps to calculate the force:

1. Determine the magnitude of each charge:
The given charges are 3 microcoulomb (uC). Since the charges located at opposite vertices are negative and the other given charge is positive, we will consider their magnitudes as 3 uC.

2. Calculate the distance between the charges:
The charges are placed at the separate corners of a square with each side measuring 5 cm. Since it is a square, the distance between any two opposite charges will be the same. Therefore, the distance between the charges is equal to the length of a side of the square, which is 5 cm.

3. Convert the distance to meters:
Coulomb's Law requires the distance to be in meters. So we need to convert 5 cm to meters by dividing it by 100. The distance between the charges is now 0.05 meters.

4. Apply Coulomb's Law:
Coulomb's Law states that the force (F) between two charges (q1 and q2) is given by the equation:
F = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2

Where:
- k is the electrostatic constant, approximately equal to 8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2.
- |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the charges.
- r is the distance between the charges.

Plugging in the values:
F = (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * ((3 x 10^-6 C) * (-3 x 10^-6 C)) / (0.05 m)^2

5. Calculate the force:
Solve the equation to find the force. After performing the calculation, you will find the force experienced by the fourth charge when placed at the missing corner.

Remember to double-check your calculations to ensure accuracy.

Three microcoulomb (uC) are placed at a separate corner of a square with each side measuring 5 cm. The two charges located at opposite vertices are negative, and the other given charge is positive. Calculate the force experience by a fourth 3uC when placed at the missing corner.​

Three microcoulomb (uC) are placed at a separate corner of a square with each side measuring 5 cm. The two charges located at opposite vertices are negative, and the other given charge is positive. Calculate the force experience by a fourth 3uC when placed at the missing corner.