Question

Three particles are placed in a line. the left particle has a charge of −55 μc, the middle one has a charge of 45 μc, and the right one has a charge of −78 μc. the middle particle is 72 cm away from the particles on the left and the right. consider right to be positive and left to be negative. a. find the net force on the middle particle.

Options:

A. Net force on the middle particle is 7.6 N to the right.
B. Net force on the middle particle is 7.6 N to the left.
C. Net force on the middle particle is 5.4 N to the right.
D. Net force on the middle particle is 5.4 N to the left.

Answer 1

The net force on the middle particle can be found by applying Coulomb's Law to calculate the forces exerted by the left and right particles and then combining these forces vectorially, taking into account their respective directions.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the net force on the middle particle with charges placed in a line, we apply Coulomb's Law, which states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The formula for Coulomb's Law is F = k |q1*q2| / r^2, where F is the force between the charges, q1 and q2 are the charges, r is the distance between the charges, and k is Coulomb's constant (8.9875 × 10^9 N·m^2/C^2).

To solve the student's question:

• Calculate the force between the left and middle particles.
• Calculate the force between the right and middle particles.
• Because we have defined right as the positive direction, we consider the forces with their respective signs.

Finally, add the two forces vectorially to find the net force, considering their directions as well.