Electric bees. As they fly through the air, honeybees can pick up a small amount of electric charge. Suppose a 0.12-g bee acquires a charge of –65pC.
How many excess electrons has the bee acquired?
Find the magnitude of the electric force on the bee in the electric field just above Earth’s surface, 120N/C directed vertically downward.
To find the number of excess electrons acquired by the bee, we need to use the fundamental charge of an electron and the concept of charge conservation. The fundamental charge of an electron is approximately -1.6 x 10^-19 coulombs (C).
The charge acquired by the bee is given as -65 pC, which is -65 x 10^-12 C.
To calculate the number of excess electrons, we divide the acquired charge by the elementary charge:
Number of excess electrons = (Charge acquired by the bee) / (Charge of an electron)
Number of excess electrons = (-65 x 10^-12 C) / (-1.6 x 10^-19 C)
Number of excess electrons ≈ 4.06 x 10^7 electrons
So, the bee has acquired approximately 4.06 x 10^7 excess electrons.
Now, let's move on to finding the magnitude of the electric force on the bee. We can use Coulomb's law to calculate the electric force on a charged object. Coulomb's law states that the electric force between two charged objects is given by the equation:
Electric force = (Charge on the first object) x (Electric field)
In this case, the charge on the bee is -65 pC, which is -65 x 10^-12 C, and the electric field is given as 120 N/C directed vertically downward.
Electric force = (-65 x 10^-12 C) x (120 N/C)
Electric force ≈ -7.8 x 10^-9 N
The magnitude of the electric force on the bee is approximately 7.8 x 10^-9 N.