Question

a smal object has a mass of kg and a charge of. it is placed at a certain spot where there is an electric field. when released, the objkect experiences an acceleration of in the direction of the -x axis. Determine the magnitutde and directiopn of t he electric field.

Answer 1

If the object's charge is positive the field goes in the + x direction

If the object load is negative, the field must go in the -x direction

Step-by-step explanation:

For this exercise let's use Newton's second law

F = m a

The force that acts is electric

F = q E

Let's replace

q E = m a

E = m a / q

We can see that the direction of the electric field depends on the ratio of the acceleration and the charge, in this case the acceleration is in the + x direction,

If the object's charge is positive the field goes in the + x direction

If the object load is negative, the field must go in the -x direction