Final answer:
To find the point where a test charge experiences no net electric force between two charges, Coulomb's law is used to equate the magnitudes of the electric forces exerted by each charge and solve for the position.
The correct option is d : 6 cm to the right of the smaller charge
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves determining the location at which a test charge would experience no net electric force when placed between two existing charges. This is a classic problem in electrostatics, commonly addressed within high school physics curriculum.
To solve the problem, we use Coulomb's law to set the magnitude of the electric force from the two charges on the test charge equal to each other, because for no net force to be experienced, the forces due to each charge on the test charge must be equal and opposite. Assuming q1 is the 2.2 × 10^-6 C charge and q2 is the 3.8 × 10^-6 C charge, and d is the total distance between q1 and q2, the position x from q1 at which the test charge experiences no net force can be found by solving the equation:
k × q1 / x^2 = k × q2 / d - x^2,
where k is Coulomb's constant, x is the distance from q1, and d - x is the distance from q2. By substituting the known values and solving for x, we can determine the correct position, and then accordingly answer whether the point is to the left or right of the smaller charge.
The correct option is d : 6 cm to the right of the smaller charge