Question

Usually the force of gravity on electrons is neglected. To see why, we can compare the force of the Earth’s gravity on an electron with the force exerted on the electron by an electric field of magnitude of 30000 V/m (a relatively small field). What is the force exerted on the electron by an electric field of magnitude of 30000 V/m

Answer 1

`4.8\cdot 10^(-15) N`

Step-by-step explanation:

The force exerted on a charged particle by an electric field is:

`F=qE`

where

q is the magnitude of the charge of the particle

E is the magnitude of the electric field

For an electron,

`q=1.6\cdot 10^(-19) C`

while the magnitude of the electric field in the problem is

`E=30000 V/m`

so, the electric force on the electron is

`F=(1.6\cdot 10^(-19)C)(30000 V/m)=4.8\cdot 10^(-15) N`