An electric field of 264,000 N/C points due west at a certain spot. What are the magnitude and direction of the force that acts on a charge of -6.75 µC at this spot? magnitude?
Isn't E= force/charge, so
force= q*E ?
To find the magnitude of the force acting on a charge at a specific spot, you can use the formula:
F = q * E
Where:
F = Force
q = Charge
E = Electric Field
Given:
Electric field (E) = 264,000 N/C (pointing due west)
Charge (q) = -6.75 µC
First, convert the charge from microcoulombs (µC) to coulombs (C):
-6.75 µC = -6.75 × 10^(-6) C
Now, substitute the values into the formula:
F = (-6.75 × 10^(-6) C) * (264,000 N/C)
Calculate the result:
F = -1.782 N
The magnitude of the force acting on the charge is 1.782 N. Since the charge is negative, the force will be in the opposite direction of the electric field. Therefore, the direction of the force is east.