Now let’s apply Coulomb’s law and the superposition principle to calculate the force on a point charge due to the presence of other nearby charges. Two point charges are located on the positive x axis of a coordinate system. Charge q1=3.0nC is 2.0 cm from the origin, and charge q2 = -8.0 nC is 4.0 cm from the origin. Charge q3= 5.0 nC is 5.0 cm from the origin. What is the magnitude of the force exerted on q1 by q2 and q3? What is the direction of the force exerted on q1 by q2 and q3? |
The force due to q2 on q1 can be calculated using
The negative sign signifies the force to be attractive.
So, the direction of the force is in the positive x-direction.i.e
The force due to q3 on q1 can be calculated using
The negative sign signifies the force to be repulsive.
So, the direction of the force is in the negative x-direction.i.e
Finally,
So, the magnitude of the force is 3.9 x 10-4 N/C.
And the direction of the force is positive x-direction.
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