a 12uc test charge was placed 20cm from a source of an electric field. There was a measured force of 0.6N acting on the test charge. What is the strength of the electric field measured by the test charge??
To calculate the strength of the electric field, you need to use the formula:
Electric field strength (E) = Force (F) / Test charge (q)
Given that the test charge (q) is 12 microcoulombs (12 μC) and the measured force (F) is 0.6 Newton (0.6 N), you can substitute those values into the formula to find the electric field strength:
E = F / q
E = 0.6 N / 12 μC
Before we can proceed, we need to convert the units so they are compatible.
1 μC (microcoulomb) = 10^-6 C (coulomb)
Therefore:
12 μC = 12 x 10^-6 C
Substituting this value, we get:
E = 0.6 N / (12 x 10^-6 C)
E = 0.6 N / (12 x 10^-6 C)
Now, we can simplify further by dividing the numerator by the denominator:
E = 0.6 N / 12 x 10^-6 C
E = 0.6 / 12 x 10^-6 N/C
E = 0.05 x 10^6 N/C
E = 50,000 N/C
Therefore, the strength of the electric field measured by the test charge is 50,000 N/C.