Uniform Charge Density on a Plastic Sheet

In summary, the conversation discusses the problem of finding the charge-per-area on a large horizontal plastic sheet with a uniform charge density, caused by an object with mass and charge floating above it. The person asking for help has struggled with finding relevant information online and is unsure of where to start. They attempt to use the equation e = sigma/(2*epsilon) but are unsure if it is applicable in this case. They also mention considering the concept of equilibrium to solve the problem. Ultimately, they receive clarification and solve the problem.
  • #1
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I've been struggling over this the entire weekend and am about to rip my hair out.

Suppose we have some object with a mass M and a charge Q. It floats above the center of a large horizontal plastic sheet with a uniform charge density on its surface. What is the charge-per-area (sigma) on the plastic sheet?

Every bit of "help" I've found all dealt with spheres and two plates with some distance between each other, or some point located some given distance away from a plane, etc. I don't know where to start with this. I attempted the E = sigma / (2*epsilon), where epsilon is the permittivity of free space (I apologize; I do not understand how to input Greek letters and mathematical signs on forums).

I think that's right, but the 2 might be unnecessary. From there, I knew I had to replace E with something else. That I'm not sure of because I don't know of anything that relates a field of Energy with mass, except that a = qE/m. Since it is hovering, though, I'd suspect a = 0, so that's useless to me. My force equations seem useless because they've all required some radius, but there's no specification.

I'm more interested on just where to start (one step beyond the E = sigma / (2*epsilon), assuming that's even right to begin with). Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
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  • #2
The equation [tex] e= \frac{\sigma}{2 \epsilon_0} [/tex] is valid only when the sheet is very large, comparing to the distance betwwen the sheet and the object. In this case, I think using this is logical.

[tex] a = \frac{qE}{m} [/tex] what is this acceleration mean? It's not the object's resultant acceleration

I think equillibrium can solve this problem.
 
  • #3
You were absolutely right. Thank you. I had thought the acceleration WAS the resultant acceleration. It certainly implies that in my physics books.
 

FAQ: Uniform Charge Density on a Plastic Sheet

What is uniform charge density?

Uniform charge density refers to a situation in which the amount of charge per unit volume is constant throughout a given space. In other words, the distribution of charge is the same at every point in the space.

How is uniform charge density measured?

Uniform charge density is typically measured in units of charge per unit volume, such as coulombs per cubic meter. This can be calculated by dividing the total charge by the volume of the space.

What are some real-world examples of uniform charge density?

One example of uniform charge density is a charged parallel plate capacitor, where the electric field between the plates is constant. Another example is a conducting sphere with a uniform charge distribution on its surface.

How does uniform charge density affect electric fields?

A uniform charge density produces a constant electric field in the surrounding space. This means that the electric field strength and direction will be the same at every point in the space.

Can uniform charge density be changed?

Yes, uniform charge density can be changed by altering the amount of charge or the volume of the space. For example, adding or removing charge will change the overall charge density, while changing the size of the space will change the charge density per unit volume.

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