At a given instant three electrons, in vacuum, happen to lie on a straight line. The first and second are separated by 3.00x 10-6 m, while the second and third are 8.00 10-6 m apart. What is the magnitude of the net electrostatic force on the middle electron, the second one?
To find the magnitude of the net electrostatic force on the middle electron, we can use Coulomb's law.
Coulomb's law states that the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
The formula for Coulomb's law is given by:
F = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r^2
Where F is the magnitude of the electrostatic force, k is the electrostatic constant (9 x 10^9 N*m^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the charges of the two point charges, and r is the distance between them.
In this case, we have three electrons on a straight line. The middle electron (second one) experiences forces due to the first and third electrons.
Let's denote the charges of the first, second, and third electrons as q1, q2, and q3, respectively.
The electrostatic force on the second electron due to the first electron is given by:
F1 = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r1^2
Here, |q1 * q2| represents the product of their charges, and r1 is the distance between them.
Similarly, the electrostatic force on the second electron due to the third electron is given by:
F2 = (k * |q2 * q3|) / r2^2
Here, |q2 * q3| represents the product of their charges, and r2 is the distance between them.
The net electrostatic force on the second electron is the vector sum of these two forces:
F_net = F1 + F2
To find the magnitude of the net electrostatic force, calculate the value of F_net using the given values for the charges and distances.