How can I find electrostatic interaction force

In summary, to find the electrostatic interaction force between two parallel plates, one of which is positively charged, there are two common methods: calculating the stored energy of the capacitor or finding the electric field due to one plate at the position of the other plate. Both methods result in the same equation for the force, which is proportional to the total charge and inversely proportional to the distance between the plates.
  • #1
Beezus
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There is given two neutral parallel plates, distance between them is d. Between them is putted insulating plate with a thikness of d. After that one of two plates was charged positively. How can I find electrostatic interaction force?
 
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  • #2
In fact you are describing a capacitor. A common solution to this problem is to calculate the store energy of the capacitor, which is a function of d . minus gradient of the energy with respect to d is the force:

C=epsilon*S/d , Energy=1/2*CV^2=1/2*Q^2/C=1/2*Q^2*d/(epsilon*S)

therefore F=-grad(Engergy)=-1/2*Q^2/(epsilon*S)

which is an attractive force. The above force can be written in terms of Q, C, and d too, i.e. F==-1/2*Q^2/(C*d)

There is another method which I think is easier to understand. In this method, we find the Electric field due to one of the plates at the position of the other one. Here, ignoring the edge effect, the plates are treated like infinite plates with uniform surface charges. For such a plate, E= sigma/(2*epsilon), where sigma is the surface charge density. See the link below :

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/electric/elesht.html

Once you have E, you can find Force using equation F=QE , where Q=sigma*S is the total charge of the plate. You get the same equation for the force except that you may have a different sign which depends on which plates are you calculating for and which direction is the positive direction for force. If care is taken, both force become equal.
 
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Related to How can I find electrostatic interaction force

1. How does distance affect electrostatic interaction force?

The force of electrostatic interaction between two charged particles is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that as the distance between the particles decreases, the force of attraction or repulsion increases.

2. What is the formula for calculating electrostatic interaction force?

The formula for calculating electrostatic interaction force is F = k(q1q2)/r^2, where F is the force in newtons, k is the Coulomb's constant (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles in coulombs, and r is the distance between the particles in meters.

3. How can I measure the force of electrostatic interaction?

The force of electrostatic interaction can be measured using an instrument called an electrostatic force meter or a Coulomb balance. These devices use the principle of electrostatic repulsion or attraction to measure the force between two charged objects.

4. What factors affect the strength of electrostatic interaction force?

The strength of electrostatic interaction force is affected by the magnitude of the charges on the particles, the distance between them, and the medium between the particles. The force is stronger for particles with higher charges and closer distance, and weaker for particles in a medium with higher dielectric constant.

5. How does the direction of charges affect electrostatic interaction force?

The force of electrostatic interaction is attractive for opposite charges and repulsive for like charges. This means that the direction of the charges on the particles affects the direction of the force between them. Oppositely charged particles will experience an attractive force, while similarly charged particles will experience a repulsive force.

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