Tree point charges(A---B---C)have equal magnitudes and are located on the same line.?
The separation d btw A and B is the same as btw B and C. A is +, B/C are -. Consider the net electrostatic force that each charge experience due to the other two charges. Rank the net forces in descending order (greatest first) according to magnitude. A,B,C / B,C,A / A,C,B / C,A,B / B,A,C. I'll appreciate the answer with a very brief reasoning. Thanks!
d separation.
Ok,lets call the force between A and B F.
then the force on C is F/4 towards A plus F away or a net of 3/4 F away from A and B.
the force on B is F towards A, and F (from C) towards A, or a force of 2F towards A.
The force on A is F towards B, plus F/4 towards B due to C, or a total force of 5/4 F towards B.
check: forces to the right =0 (left will be negative.
Total= Fa+Fb+Fc
= 5/4 F -2F+3/4 F=f(5/4-8/4+3/4)=0
all this is based on the INVERSE square law.
ranking. B, A, C check that.
To determine the ranking of the net electrostatic forces experienced by the three charges, we need to consider the interaction between each pair of charges and their signs.
Let's analyze the forces acting on each charge:
A (positive charge):
- Charge A will experience a repulsive force from charge B, since they both have the same positive sign.
- Charge A will also experience an attractive force from charge C, as they have opposite charges.
B (negative charge):
- Charge B will experience an attractive force from both charges A and C since they have opposite charges.
C (negative charge):
- Charge C will experience a repulsive force from charge A, due to their both having negative charges.
- Charge C will experience an attractive force from charge B, as they have opposite charges.
Now, let's rank the net electrostatic forces in descending order (greatest first):
B,A,C: The net force acting on charge B is the greatest because it experiences attractive forces from both charges A and C.
C,A,B: The net force acting on charge C is the second greatest because it experiences an attractive force from charge B and a repulsive force from charge A.
A,C,B: The net force acting on charge A is the third greatest because it experiences an attractive force from charge C and a repulsive force from charge B.
C,A,B: The net force acting on charge C is similar to the previous case, but the order has changed due to the placement of charge B.
B,C,A: The net force acting on charge B is the least because it experiences an attractive force from charge C and a repulsive force from charge A.
Therefore, the ranking of the net electrostatic forces in descending order is:
1. B,A,C
2. C,A,B
3. A,C,B
4. C,A,B
5. B,C,A
To rank the net forces, we need to consider the principle of superposition. The net electrostatic force on each charge is the vector sum of the forces due to the other two charges.
We can start by analyzing the force on charge A. Since charge A is positive, it will experience attractive forces from both charges B and C. The magnitude of the net force on charge A will be the sum of the magnitudes of the forces due to charges B and C. However, since both charges B and C are negative, the net force on A will be the smallest when it is between B and C. This is because the forces due to charges B and C will be in opposite directions and almost cancel each other out. So, the magnitude of the net force on A will be the smallest.
For charges B and C, they are both negative and will experience repulsive forces from each other. The magnitude of the force between B and C will be the same as the force between C and B since they have equal magnitudes and are located on the same line.
Therefore, the ranking of the net forces in descending order (from greatest to smallest) would be:
1. B,A,C (The net force on charge B is highest because it experiences repulsion from charge C and attraction from charge A simultaneously)
2. C,A,B (The net force on charge C is highest among the remaining options since it experiences repulsion from charge B and attraction from charge A simultaneously)
3. B,C,A (The net force on charge B is higher among the remaining options because it experiences only repulsion from charge C)
4. C,B,A (The net force on charge C is higher among the remaining options because it experiences only repulsion from charge B)
5. A,C,B (The net force on charge A is the lowest among the options because it experiences only attraction from charges B and C, which nearly cancel each other out)