Coulomb's Law And Electric Field between 2 Parallel Plates

In summary, the electric field between two oppositely charged plane parallel plates is 1.24*10^-8 N/C. The proton is released from rest at the surface of the positively charged plate and strikes the surface of the opposite plate, 1.59cm distant from the first, in a time interval of 1.60*10^-6s.
  • #1
Yosty22
185
4

Homework Statement



A uniform electric field exists in the region between two oppositely charged plane parallel plates. A proton is released from rest at the surface of the positively charged plate and strikes the surface of the opposite plate, 1.59cm distant from the first, in a time interval of 1.60×10−6s .

A). Find the magnitude of the electric field.
B). Find the speed of the proton when it strikes the negatively charged plate.

Homework Equations



F=ma
E=F/q
y=y_0+v_0t+1/2at^2

The Attempt at a Solution



Usually, to solve for the E field between two parallel plates, you use sigma/epsilon_0. However, I am not given sigma nor am I given anything about the dimensions of the plate, so I took the old kinematics route. First, I used the equation y=y_0+v_0t+1/2at^2. I said it starts from y_0=0 and it says it starts from rest, so I am left with y=1/2at^2. I plugged in the distance between the plates (.0159m) and the time (1.6*10^-6s) and solved for the proton's acceleration, which I found to be 1.24 m/s^2 in the negative y direction (towards the negative plate).

Next, I used F=ma - using the acceleration I just found (1.24 m/s^2) and the mass of the proton (1.6*10^-27kg) and solved for F. I got 1.984*10^-27N

Lastly, for part A, I used the equation E=F/q. Substituting the numbers in, I got that E=1.24*10^-8 N/C and it said that it was incorrect.

For part B, i used the acceleration I found above and plugged it into v=v_0+at and got V=1.984*10^-6, which was also wrong.

Any ideas what I did wrong?
 
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  • #2
The value you obtained from acceleration seem to be off by many orders of magnitude.
 
  • #3
nasu said:
The value you obtained from acceleration seem to be off by many orders of magnitude.

'Many' is right! :smile:
 

FAQ: Coulomb's Law And Electric Field between 2 Parallel Plates

1. What is Coulomb's Law and how is it related to electric fields between two parallel plates?

Coulomb's Law states that the force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In the case of electric fields between two parallel plates, Coulomb's Law can be used to calculate the strength of the electric field between the plates based on the charges of the plates and the distance between them.

2. How do the charges and distance between the parallel plates affect the electric field between them?

The strength of the electric field between two parallel plates is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charges on the plates and inversely proportional to the distance between them. This means that as the charges increase, the electric field becomes stronger, and as the distance between the plates increases, the electric field becomes weaker.

3. Can Coulomb's Law be used to calculate the electric field between two parallel plates of different sizes or shapes?

Yes, Coulomb's Law can be used to calculate the electric field between two parallel plates of any size or shape as long as the plates are parallel and have a constant charge distribution. In this case, the distance between the plates would still be the determining factor in the strength of the electric field.

4. How does the direction of the electric field between two parallel plates relate to the charges on the plates?

The direction of the electric field between two parallel plates is always perpendicular to the plates and points from the positively charged plate to the negatively charged plate. This is because opposite charges attract each other, so the electric field is directed towards the opposite charge.

5. What is the SI unit for electric field strength and how is it measured?

The SI unit for electric field strength is Newtons per Coulomb (N/C). It can be measured using a device called an electric field meter, which measures the force experienced by a test charge placed in the electric field between the parallel plates. The ratio of this force to the magnitude of the test charge gives the electric field strength in N/C.

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