Coulomb's Law and Electric Fields

In summary, Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law in physics that describes the relationship between electric charge and the force between two charged objects. It differs from Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation as it applies to charged objects and can be either attractive or repulsive. An electric field is a region where a charged object experiences a force, created by a charged object and calculated by dividing the force by the magnitude of the charge. Distance affects the strength of an electric field as described by Coulomb's Law, where the strength decreases as the distance between two charged objects increases.
  • #1
student07
36
1
Examine the charge distribution shown:
question.JPG


b) What is the net electric field acting on charge 1?

Attempt at the answer:

E2 = Kq2/r2^2 = (9.0 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2)(3.0 x 10^-5 C) / 2.0m^2

E2 = 6.75 x 10^4 N/C

E2 = E3 ( therefore, same procedure)

eNet = Sqr.rt. 6.75 x 10^4 N/C^2 + 6.75 x 10^4 N/C^2 = 9.55 x 10^4 N/C

angle = Tan^-1 = (6.75/6.75) = 45 deg.

The total electric field acting on charge 1 is 9.55 x 10^4 N/C [N 45deg. E]

Is this right?
 
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  • #2
It looks OK.
 
  • #3
So the reason why charge 1 is not added to the equation is because is the adding of the vectors around it?
 

Related to Coulomb's Law and Electric Fields

1. What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law in physics that describes the relationship between the amount of electric charge and the force between two charged objects. It states that the force between two charged objects is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

2. How is Coulomb's Law different from Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation?

While both laws describe the force between two objects, Coulomb's Law applies to electrically charged objects, while Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation applies to objects with mass. Additionally, the force described by Coulomb's Law can be either attractive or repulsive, while the force described by Newton's Law is always attractive.

3. What is an electric field?

An electric field is a region in space where an electrically charged object experiences a force. It is created by a charged object and can exert a force on other charged objects within its vicinity. The strength and direction of an electric field are determined by the charges and distances of the objects involved.

4. How is an electric field calculated?

The strength of an electric field can be calculated by dividing the force acting on a charged object by the magnitude of the charge. This is represented by the equation E = F/q, where E is the electric field strength, F is the force, and q is the magnitude of the charge.

5. How does distance affect the strength of an electric field?

According to Coulomb's Law, the strength of an electric field decreases as the distance between two charged objects increases. This is because the force between two charged objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Therefore, as the distance increases, the force decreases, resulting in a weaker electric field.

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