Components of force of 2 moving charges

In summary, the question involves a particle with charge ##e## and position vector ##\vec{r}## moving at a constant velocity ##\vec{v}##, and a second charge ##e'## also moving at the same velocity through the field generated by ##e##. The question asks for the components of the force on ##e'## parallel and normal to the vector ##\vec{d}## from ##e## to ##e'##. The given equation is ##\vec{B}=\frac{\mu_0 e}{4\pi}\frac{\vec{v}\times\vec{r}}{r^3}##, and the solution involves finding the force due to the magnetic field
  • #1
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Homework Statement



A particle with charge ##e## and position vector ##\vec{r}## (relative to some frame, S) moves with constant velocity ##\vec{v}##. A second charge ##e'## is moving with the same velocity ##\vec{v}## through the field generated by ##e##. If ##\vec{d}## is a vector from ##e## to ##e'## find the components of the force on ##e'## parallel to and normal to ##\vec{d}##.

Homework Equations



We can assume the velocities involved are far less than the speed of light, thus:

##\vec{B}=\frac{\mu_0 e}{4\pi}\frac{\vec{v}\times\vec{r}}{r^3}##.

The Attempt at a Solution



This is a previous exam question and the above equation is all that is given. So I'm not sure whether they would like us to calculate the magnetic and electric contributions to the force or just the magnetic. Also I am assuming that they mean the second charge is moving with velocity ##\vec{v}## relative to the first charge. This is how I imagine the geometry of the situation:

2 moving charges.png


The velocity of ##e'## with respect to ##e## is: ##\vec{v}_{e'e}=\dot{\vec{d}}=\dot{\vec{r}'}-\dot{\vec{r}}=2\vec{v}-\vec{v}=\vec{v}##
The magnetic field of ##e## in the rest frame of ##e'## is: ##\vec{B}_{ee'}=\frac{\mu_0 e}{4\pi}\frac{\vec{(-v)}\times\vec{d}}{d^3}##. Or do I use the magnetic field of ##e## in the frame S?
Thus the force on ##e'## due to the magnetic field of ##e## is ##\vec{F}_{mag}=\frac{e'e\mu_0}{4\pi}\vec{v}_{e'e}\times\frac{\vec{(-v)}\times\vec{d}}{d^3}##. But ##\vec{v}_{e'e}## is parallel to ##\vec{v}## so the cross product is zero. I must be thinking about the situation wrong since there should be a non-zero force.

Also, when I do eventually find the force, do I find the normal and parallel components by taking the scalar product of the total force with the normal and parallel vectors?
 

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  • #2
Why do you think it the force should be zero? Many effects would be against our intuition, that at least in this case I think the theory doesn't tell us like this.
 

FAQ: Components of force of 2 moving charges

1. How do we calculate the total force between two moving charges?

The total force between two moving charges can be calculated using the equation F = q1q2/4πϵ0r2, where q1 and q2 are the charges of the two particles, r is the distance between them, and ϵ0 is the permittivity of free space.

2. What is the direction of the force between two moving charges?

The direction of the force between two moving charges depends on the relative direction of their velocities. If the charges are moving in the same direction, the force will be attractive, and if they are moving in opposite directions, the force will be repulsive. The force acts along the line connecting the two charges.

3. How does the force between two moving charges change with distance?

The force between two moving charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that as the distance between the charges increases, the force decreases. Conversely, as the distance decreases, the force increases.

4. Can the force between two moving charges be zero?

Yes, the force between two moving charges can be zero if the charges have equal magnitudes and are moving with equal velocities in opposite directions. In this case, the forces acting on each charge will cancel out, resulting in a net force of zero.

5. How are the components of force between two moving charges related to each other?

The components of the force between two moving charges are related by the angle between the line connecting the charges and the direction of motion of each charge. The x-component of the force is related to the angle by Fx = Fcosθ, while the y-component is related by Fy = Fsinθ.

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