Question

Three positive particles of equal charge 17 uc are located at the corners of an equilateral triangle of side 15cm. What is the net electric field at the center of the triangle?

1) Zero
2) Non-zero
3) Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The net electric field at the center of an equilateral triangle with three equal positive charges at the corners is zero due to the symmetry of the arrangement causing the electric fields to cancel out.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student asked what the net electric field at the center of an equilateral triangle is when three positive particles of equal charge are located at the corners. In this scenario, the net electric field is zero because the individual electric fields due to each charge at the center of the triangle will have equal magnitude and will be symmetrically arranged, canceling each other out.

To visualize this, one can draw vectors representing the electric field from each charge to the center. The symmetry of the equilateral triangle ensures that the vectors are evenly spaced and point towards the center, resulting in a net electric field of zero. This is under the assumption that the charges are static and that the Coulomb force is the only force acting on them.