There is a proton that is at the origin and an electron at the point x= 0.42nm and y=0.36nm.

Find the elctric force on the proton for Fx and Fy.

For my total force I got 7.53*10^-11N
For my x direction I got 5.8 *10^-11N, and for my y dirction i got 5.1 *10^-11N.

Where did I go wrong?

To find the electric force on the proton, we can use Coulomb's Law. The formula for the electric force between two charges is:

F = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r^2

Where F is the electric force between the charges, k is the electrostatic constant (approximately equal to 9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges (in this case, the charge of the proton and the charge of the electron), and r is the distance between the charges.

Here, the charge of a proton (q1) and an electron (q2) are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign. So, q1 = -q2 (where q1 is the charge of the proton and q2 is the charge of the electron).

To calculate the electric force on the proton in the x-direction (Fx) and y-direction (Fy), we need to find the components of the total force based on the relative positions of the two charges.

To find Fx, we use the formula:

Fx = F * cosθ

Where F is the total force and θ is the angle between the total force vector and the x-axis.

To find Fy, we use the formula:

Fy = F * sinθ

Where F is the total force and θ is the angle between the total force vector and the x-axis.

Let's calculate the electric force on the proton and its components (Fx and Fy) step by step:

Step 1: Calculate the distance between the proton and the electron:
First, find the distance between the two points using the distance formula:

r = sqrt((x2 - x1)^2 + (y2 - y1)^2)

Here, (x1, y1) represents the origin (0, 0), and (x2, y2) represents the coordinates of the electron (0.42 nm, 0.36 nm).

r = sqrt((0.42 nm - 0 nm)^2 + (0.36 nm - 0 nm)^2)

Step 2: Calculate the magnitudes of the charges:
The charge of a proton (q1) and an electron (q2) have the same magnitude, which is the elementary charge (e) or approximately 1.6 x 10^-19 C.

q1 = q2 = 1.6 x 10^-19 C

Step 3: Calculate the total force between the proton and the electron using Coulomb's Law:
Plug the values into Coulomb's Law formula:

F = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r^2

Step 4: Calculate Fx and Fy:
Use the formulas mentioned earlier:

Fx = F * cosθ
Fy = F * sinθ

Now, let's calculate the values:

Step 1: Calculate the distance between the proton and the electron:

r = sqrt((0.42 nm - 0 nm)^2 + (0.36 nm - 0 nm)^2)
r ≈ 0.528 nm

Step 2: Calculate the magnitudes of the charges:

q1 = q2 = 1.6 x 10^-19 C

Step 3: Calculate the total force:

F = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r^2
F = (9 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2 * |1.6 x 10^-19 C * 1.6 x 10^-19 C|) / (0.528 nm)^2

F ≈ 7.53 x 10^-11 N

Step 4: Calculate Fx and Fy:

To find the angle θ, we can use trigonometry:
θ = arctan(y / x)

θ = arctan(0.36 nm / 0.42 nm)
θ ≈ 43.5 degrees

Fx = F * cosθ
Fx ≈ 7.53 x 10^-11 N * cos(43.5°)

Fx ≈ 5.39 x 10^-11 N

Fy = F * sinθ
Fy ≈ 7.53 x 10^-11 N * sin(43.5°)

Fy ≈ 5.27 x 10^-11 N

Comparing these results with your calculations, it seems like there was a slight error in your calculations for Fx and Fy.