Need help with electric force and velocity.

In summary, the problem involves a thin ring with a uniformly distributed charge of 13.6 uC and a small sphere with a charge of 5.0 uC placed at the center of the ring and given a small push along the x-axis. The question asks for the speed of the sphere when it is 1.9m from the center of the ring, ignoring gravity. The relevant equations are F=ma, F=k*Q1Q2/r^2, and vf^2 = vi^2 + 2ad. The attempt at a solution involved setting the two force equations equal to each other and using .145m as the radius, but this did not result in the correct answer. It is unclear where
  • #1
warfreak131
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Homework Statement



A 14.5 cm-radius thin ring carries a uniformly distributed 13.6 uC\ charge. A small 6.1 g sphere with a charge of 5.0 uC is placed exactly at the center of the ring and given a very small push so it moves along the ring axis (+ x axis).

How fast will the sphere be moving when it is 1.9m from the center of the ring (ignore gravity)?

Homework Equations



F=ma
F=k * Q1Q2/r^2
vf^2 = vi^2 + 2ad

The Attempt at a Solution



I set the two force equations equal to each other, and found an expression for the acceleration using .145m as r, and plugged that into the third equation and got an answer of 134. Needless to say, this wasn't the correct answer.
 
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  • #2
warfreak131 said:

Homework Statement



A 14.5 cm-radius thin ring carries a uniformly distributed 13.6 uC\ charge. A small 6.1 g sphere with a charge of 5.0 uC is placed exactly at the center of the ring and given a very small push so it moves along the ring axis (+ x axis).

How fast will the sphere be moving when it is 1.9m from the center of the ring (ignore gravity)?

Homework Equations



F=ma
F=k * Q1Q2/r^2
vf^2 = vi^2 + 2ad

The Attempt at a Solution



I set the two force equations equal to each other, and found an expression for the acceleration using .145m as r, and plugged that into the third equation and got an answer of 134. Needless to say, this wasn't the correct answer.

I'm not sure about this problem. First off, where is the ring relative to the x axis(does the x-axis shoot through the center of the ring, or does it go toward the rim, or something else?). Second, I have the assumption that the E field is not constant, so while the charge moves, the acceleration will change. That would make this problem terribly complex, though.

Perhaps you should recheck your calculation using the constant E model with energy:
[tex]\frac{1}{2}mv^2=Ed[/tex]
where E is the electric field and d is the distance traveled.
 
  • #3
since F=Eq, does F = coulombs law? and i assume q = the charge of the small sphere?

what about acceleration?
 

FAQ: Need help with electric force and velocity.

What is electric force?

Electric force is the attractive or repulsive force between two charged particles, such as electrons and protons, that is caused by the interaction of their electric fields.

How is electric force calculated?

Electric force is calculated using Coulomb's law, which 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.

What is the unit of electric force?

The unit of electric force is Newton (N) in the SI system of units. It can also be expressed in other units such as dyne (1 N = 10^5 dynes) or pound-force (1 N = 0.2248 lbf).

What is the relationship between electric force and velocity?

Electric force does not directly affect the velocity of a charged particle. However, if an electric force is applied on a charged particle, it can accelerate or decelerate the particle, thus changing its velocity.

How does the direction of electric force relate to the direction of velocity?

The direction of electric force is always parallel or anti-parallel to the electric field. The direction of velocity, on the other hand, depends on the specific situation and can be affected by other forces such as gravity or friction.

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