Question

Two 1.4 g spheres are charged equally and placed 1.7 cm apart. When released, they begin to accelerate at 110 m/s2 .

What is the magnitude of thecharge on each sphere?

Answer 1

The magnitude of the charge on each sphere is
`7.03* 10^(-8)\ C`.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that,

Mass of both spheres,
`m=1.4\ g=1.4* 10^(-3)\ kg`

Separation between spheres, d = 1.7 cm = 0.017 m

When they released, they begin to accelerate at,
`a=110\ m/s^2`

We need to find the magnitude of the charge on each sphere. When they are released, the force due to acceleration is balanced by the electric force between charges as:

`(kq^2)/(d^2)=ma`

`q=\sqrt{(mad^2)/(k)}`

`q=\sqrt{(1.4* 10^(-3)* 110* (0.017)^2)/(9* 10^9)}`

`q=7.03* 10^(-8)\ C`

So, the magnitude of the charge on each sphere is
`7.03* 10^(-8)\ C`. Hence, this is the required solution.