Question

(Warning: Geometry is a bit challenging, so don't spend too much time on this unless you really want to impress your friends.) Suppose Alice ties three silk ribbons together and attaches the combination to the ceiling. She then hangs a rubber balloon from each ribbon. To show off the colors of the balloons and make them hang separately, Alice rubs each balloon with a woolen scarf. The centers of the separated balloons form a horizontal equilateral triangle with sides 34 cm long. To include the effects of gravity and buoyant forces, each balloon can be modeled as a small, dense particle of mass 2.3 g (experiencing a negligible buoyant force), located 65 cm from the point of support. Assuming that the balloons all carry the same charge, what is that charge? (Neglect the mass of the thread.)

?C

Answer 1