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Chapter 18: Q11CQ (page 661)

Given the polar character of water molecules, explain how ions in the air form nucleation centers for rain droplets.

Short Answer

Expert verified

Ions in the air attract polar molecules like water as it has a partial positive charge in Hydrogen atoms and a partial negative charge on Oxygen atom.

Step by step solution

01

Ions

Ions are the atoms or molecules that contain unequal number of electrons and protons. The positively charged ions are known as cations and the negatively charged ions are called anions.

02

Ions in the air form nucleation centers

As we know that water molecule is a polar molecule. It has partial negative charges on its Oxygen atom and partial positive charges on its Hydrogen atoms.

When a rain droplet comes near an ion in the air, it experiences the electrostatic force of attraction due to the polar nature of the water molecule. Hence, the ion in the air form nucleation centers for rain droplets.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

When a glass rod is rubbed with silk, it becomes positive and the silk becomes negative—yet both attract dust. Does the dust have a third type of charge that is attracted to both positive and negative? Explain.

(a) In Figure 18.59, four equal charges \(q\) lie on the corners of a square. A fifth charge \(Q\) is on a mass \(m\) directly above the center of the square, at a height equal to the length \(d\) of one side of the square. Determine the magnitude of \(q\) in terms of \(Q\), \(m\), and \(d\), if the Coulomb force is to equal the weight of \(m\). (b) Is this equilibrium stable or unstable? Discuss.

Figure 18.59 Four equal charges on the corners of a horizontal square support the weight of a fifth charge located directly above the center of the square.

Why do most objects tend to contain nearly equal numbers of positive and negative charges?

Figure 18.47 shows the electric field lines near two charges q1 and q2. What is the ratio of their magnitudes? (b) Sketch the electric field lines a long distance from the charges shown in the figure.

Figure 18.47 The electric field near two charges

Two point charges are brought closer together, increasing the force between them by a factor of 25. By what factor was their separation decreased?
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