5. Three charges, Q1 = 10µC, Q2 = 8µC and Q3 = 7µC are lying along a straight line. Q1 is one meter away from Q2 and Q2 is one meter away from Q3. Find the net electric force on Q1
To find the net electric force on Q1, we need to calculate the individual forces between Q1 and Q2, as well as between Q1 and Q3, and then add them together.
The electric force between two charges is given by Coulomb's law:
F = (k * |Q1| * |Q2|) / r^2
Where:
- F is the magnitude of the electrical force
- k is the electrostatic constant, approximately equal to 9 x 10^9 Nm²/C²
- |Q1| and |Q2| are the magnitudes of the charges
- r is the distance between the charges
First, let's calculate the force between Q1 and Q2. Given that Q1 = 10µC, Q2 = 8µC, and the distance between them is 1 meter, the formula becomes:
F1 = (9 x 10^9 Nm²/C² * |10µC| * |8µC|) / (1m)^2
Now, let's calculate the force between Q1 and Q3. Given that Q1 = 10µC, Q3 = 7µC, and the distance between them is also 1 meter, the formula becomes:
F2 = (9 x 10^9 Nm²/C² * |10µC| * |7µC|) / (1m)^2
Finally, to find the net electric force on Q1, we add the individual forces together:
Net force on Q1 = F1 + F2
Simply plug in the values for F1 and F2 that you calculated using the formulas mentioned above, and calculate the result to find the net electric force on Q1.