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Two 18 cm-long thin glass rods uniformly charged to +10nC are placed side by side, 4.0 cm apart. What are the electric field strengths E1, E2, and E3 at distances 2.0 cm, and 3.0 cm to the right of the rod on the left, along the line connecting the midpoints of the two rods?

A) Specify the electric field strength E1.
B) Specify the electric field strength E2.
C) Specify the electric field strength E3.

1 Answer

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Final answer:

To calculate the electric field strengths E1, E2, and E3 at different distances to the right of the left rod, you can use Coulomb's law and the principle of superposition. E1 can be calculated by considering the left rod as a point charge, while E2 and E3 can be calculated by considering both rods and adding up their individual electric fields.

Step-by-step explanation:

The electric field strengths E1, E2, and E3 at distances 2.0 cm and 3.0 cm to the right of the rod on the left, along the line connecting the midpoints of the two rods can be calculated using Coulomb's law. E1 is the electric field strength at a distance of 2.0 cm. To calculate E1, we can consider the rod on the left as a point charge and use the formula E = k * (Q / r^2), where k is the Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge of the rod, and r is the distance. In this case, Q = +10nC and r = 2.0 cm. Plugging in these values, we can calculate E1. E2 is the electric field strength at a distance of 3.0 cm. To calculate E2, we can consider both rods and use the principle of superposition. The electric fields created by each rod can be calculated individually using Coulomb's law, and then added together to get the total electric field at the point. Using the same formula and plugging in the values, we can calculate E2. E3 is the electric field strength at a distance of 4.0 cm. At this distance, both rods are the same distance away, so the distance and charge in both rods are the same as in E2. Therefore, E3 is equal to E2.

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