- #1
Westin
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Homework Statement
Under certain conditions the interaction between a "polar" molecule such as HCl located at the origin and an ion located along the x-axis can be described by a potential energy U=−b[PLAIN]https://s3.lite.msu.edu/adm/jsMath/fonts/cmmi10/alpha/144/char3D.pngx^2, where b is a constant.
What is Fx, the x component of the force on the ion?
Fx=
Fy= 0[/B]
Homework Equations
U=-b/x^2[/B]
The Attempt at a Solution
The y component of the force on the ion was fairly obvious but I am getting stuck on the x component.
I know that the force must me positive but it was incorrect when I tried +b[PLAIN]https://s3.lite.msu.edu/adm/jsMath/fonts/cmmi10/alpha/144/char3D.pngx^3[/B][/B]
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