Question

An electron travels 0.01 m across an electric potential difference of 6 x 10^6 V. What is the force exerted on the electron? Type your answer below including the correct units

Answer 1

`9.6\cdot 10^(-11)N`

Step-by-step explanation:

The force experienced by a charged particle immersed in an electric field is

`F=qE`

where

q is the charge of the particle

E is the strength of the electric field

For a uniform field, we can write

`E=(\Delta V)/(d)`

where

`\Delta V` is the potential difference

d is the distance travelled

So we can rewrite the force as

`F=(q\Delta V)/(d)`

In this problem:

`q=1.6\cdot 10^(-19)C` is the charge of the electron

`\Delta V=6\cdot 10^6 V` is the potential difference

d = 0.01 m is the distance covered

Substituting, we find the force:

`F=((1.6\cdot 10^(-19))(6\cdot 10^6))/(0.01)=9.6\cdot 10^(-11)N`