Coulomb's Law, finding acceleration direction

In summary, the problem involves two fixed charges, q1=-7 and q2=-2, with a distance of 2m between them. A third negative charge, q3, is moving along the vertical line connecting the two charges. The net force acting on q3 is 0, and the charge is located at a distance of d√q1/q2 / 1+ √q1/q2 from q1. If q3 is released 0.5m above q1, it will accelerate towards q2.
  • #1
loukiz
2
0

Homework Statement


Two charges q1 = -7 and q2 = -2, both charges are fixed in place and the distance between them is 2m. Third negative charge q3 is moving along the vertical line that connects two charges.

1) net force acting on q3 = 0; where is the charge located ?
2) If charge q3 is released 0.5m above charge q1, in which direction is it going to accelerate ?

Homework Equations


F1 - F2 = 0
x = position of q3
q1/x2 = q2/(d-x)2

The Attempt at a Solution


After solving #1 the final formula that i came up with is x = d√q1/q2 / 1 + √q1/q2

and #2 i have no clue how to solve this one...
 
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  • #2
loukiz said:
released 0.5m above charge q1,
Where is q2 relative to q1? Above? Below?
 
  • #3
Bystander said:
Where is q2 relative to q1? Above? Below?
q2 is above q1
 
  • #4
Net force on q3 from the two fixed charges is then what?
 

Related to Coulomb's Law, finding acceleration direction

What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law of physics that describes the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles. It states that the force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

How is Coulomb's Law used to find acceleration direction?

Coulomb's Law can be used to find the direction of acceleration of a charged particle in an electric field. The direction of acceleration is determined by the direction of the electric field, which is the direction in which a positive test charge would move if placed in the field. The acceleration of the charged particle will be in the same direction as the electric field.

What are the units of Coulomb's Law?

The units of Coulomb's Law are newtons (N) for force, coulombs (C) for charge, and meters (m) for distance. The constant of proportionality, known as the Coulomb's Law constant, is typically represented by the symbol k and has the unit of newtons times meters squared per coulomb squared (N⋅m²/C²).

What is the formula for Coulomb's Law?

The formula for Coulomb's Law is: F = k * (q1 * q2)/d², where F is the force between two charged particles, k is the Coulomb's Law constant, q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, and d is the distance between them.

What are the similarities between Coulomb's Law and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation?

Both Coulomb's Law and Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation are inverse-square laws that describe the force between two objects. Both laws involve a constant of proportionality and are dependent on the distance between the objects. However, Coulomb's Law deals with electric charges, while Newton's Law deals with masses.

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