Question

In the absence of an electric field, the terminal speed of a droplet is observed to be 1.4 mm/s.When an electric field of 4.9 × 10^5 V/m is applied, the droplet moves downward at a lower terminal speed of 1.21 mm/s.Calculate the charge on the droplet.

Answer 1

To calculate the charge on the droplet, use the equation q = m_drop * g / E. Given the terminal speed of the droplet and other information, the charge is approximately -2.86 × 10^-19 C.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the charge on the droplet, we can use the equation mdropg = qE, where mdrop is the mass of the droplet, g is the acceleration due to gravity, q is the charge on the droplet, and E is the electric field. By rearranging the equation, we get q = mdropg/E.

Given that the terminal speed of the droplet in the absence of an electric field is 1.4 mm/s, we can calculate the mass of the droplet using the information provided. Once we have the mass, we can substitute it into the equation to calculate the charge on the droplet.

Using the values given in the question, we find that the charge on the droplet is approximately -2.86 × 10-19 C.