Two tiny objects with equal charges of \(7.00 \mu \mathrm{C}\) are placed at the two lower corners of a square with sides of \(0.300 \mathrm{m},\) as shown. Find the electric field at point \(B\) midway between the upper left and right corners.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The net electric field at point B is directed vertically downwards with a magnitude of \(4.68 \times 10^{4} N/C\).

Step by step solution

01

Determine the charges at point A and point C

The charges at both points A and C are equal, and their magnitude is given as \(7.00 \mu C\). Convert this into coulombs: \(7.00 \times 10^{-6} C\).
02

Compute the distance from the charges to point B

The distance from both A and C to point B can be calculated using the Pythagorean theorem. Because point B is midway between the upper left and right corners, we can find that the sides of the triangle formed between the lower charges and Point B (ACB) are equal to half of the square's side, \(0.300 m / 2 = 0.150 m\). Now, find the hypotenuse (length AB or CB) using the Pythagorean theorem: \(\sqrt{(0.150 m)^2 + (0.300 m)^2} \approx 0.335 m\).
03

Calculate the electric field due to each charge at point B

We can calculate the electric field due to each charge at point B using the formula for the electric field created by a point charge: \(\vec{E} = \frac{kQ}{r^2}\hat{r}\), where k is the electrostatic constant (\(k \approx 8.9875 \times 10^9 N m^2 C^{-2}\)), Q is the charge, and r is the distance between the charge and the point where we're finding the electric field. For both charges A and C, we have: \(\vec{E_A} = \frac{8.9875 \times 10^9 (7.00 \times 10^{-6})}{(0.335)^2}\hat{r_A} \approx 5.26 \times 10^{4} \hat{r_A} N/C \) \(\vec{E_C} = \frac{8.9875 \times 10^9 (7.00 \times 10^{-6})}{(0.335)^2}\hat{r_C} \approx 5.26 \times 10^{4} \hat{r_C} N/C\)
04

Determine the components of the electric field vectors

Now we need to express the electric field vectors in terms of their horizontal (\(x\)) and vertical (\(y\)) components. We can use trigonometry to do this, by calculating the angle between the electric field vector and the horizontal axis using \(tan(\theta) = \frac{0.150}{0.300}\). This gives us \(\theta \approx 26.565^\circ\). We can then find the components of each field as follows: \(\vec{E_Ax} = 5.26 \times 10^{4} cos(26.565^\circ) N/C \approx 4.69 \times 10^{4} N/C\) (to the right) \(\vec{E_Ay} = -5.26 \times 10^{4} sin(26.565^\circ) N/C \approx -2.34 \times 10^{4} N/C\) (downwards) \(\vec{E_Cx} = -5.26 \times 10^{4} cos(26.565^\circ) N/C \approx -4.69 \times 10^{4} N/C\) (to the left) \(\vec{E_Cy} = -5.26 \times 10^{4} sin(26.565^\circ) N/C \approx -2.34 \times 10^{4} N/C\) (downwards)
05

Determine the net electric field at point B

Now we can find the net electric field at point B by summing the components of the fields created by each charge: \(\vec{E_{net_x}} = \vec{E_{Ax}} + \vec{E_{Cx}} = 4.69 \times 10^{4} N/C - 4.69 \times 10^{4} N/C = 0 N/C\) \(\vec{E_{net_y}} = \vec{E_{Ay}} + \vec{E_{Cy}} = -2.34 \times 10^{4} N/C - 2.34 \times 10^{4} N/C \approx -4.68 \times 10^{4} N/C\) Thus, the net electric field at point B is \(\vec{E_{net}} = 0\hat{i} - 4.68 \times 10^{4}\hat{j} N/C\). It is directed vertically downwards with a magnitude of \(4.68 \times 10^{4} N/C\).

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Two tiny objects with equal charges of \(7.00 \mu \mathrm{C}\) are placed at the two lower corners of a square with sides of \(0.300 \mathrm{m},\) as shown. Find the electric field at point \(C\) the center of the square.
Use Gauss's law to derive an expression for the electric field outside the thin spherical shell of Conceptual Example 16.8
A dipole consists of two equal and opposite point charges \((\pm q)\) separated by a distance \(d .\) (a) Write an expression for the electric field at a point \((0, y)\) on the dipole axis. Specify the direction of the field in all four regions: \(y>\frac{1}{2} d, 0<y<\frac{1}{2} d,-\frac{1}{2} d<y<0,\) and \(y<-\frac{1}{2} d .\) (b) At distant points \((|y| \gg d),\) write a simpler, approximate expression for the field. To what power of \(y\) is the field proportional? Does this conflict with Coulomb's law? [Hint: Use the binomial approximation $\left.(1 \pm x)^{n} \approx 1 \pm n x \text { for } x \ll 1 .\right]$
Three point charges are placed on the \(x\) -axis. A charge of $3.00 \mu \mathrm{C}\( is at the origin. A charge of \)-5.00 \mu \mathrm{C}\( is at \)20.0 \mathrm{cm},\( and a charge of \)8.00 \mu \mathrm{C}\( is at \)35.0 \mathrm{cm} .$ What is the force on the charge at the origin?
Some forms of cancer can be treated using proton therapy in which proton beams are accelerated to high energies, then directed to collide into a tumor, killing the malignant cells. Suppose a proton accelerator is \(4.0 \mathrm{m}\) long and must accelerate protons from rest to a speed of $1.0 \times 10^{7} \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s} .$ Ignore any relativistic effects (Chapter 26) and determine the magnitude of the average electric field that could accelerate these protons.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free