Net electric field with triangle

[nothingatall]

Homework Statement

A proton and an electron form two corners of an equilateral triangle of side length 5.3 x 10-6 m. What is the magnitude of the net electric field these particles produce at the third corner?

Homework Equations

E=kQ/r^2

The Attempt at a Solution

I drew a triangle with an electron and a proton as the corners. I'm thinking of using Pythagorean theorem or something then solve this with the formula by dividing the distance. I'm sort of confused but i do know that the answer will be negative.

 

[minimark1234]

hopefully this can point you in the correct direction to go into solve this problem. one of the main concepts in electrodynamics is superposition. superposition says that the electric field at a point is the sum of all the electric charges acting on that point. hopefully the fact the electrostatics follows the rule of superposition you might have a slight idea how to approach this problem.

 

[kerimek]

I can provide a more specific and accurate approach to solving this problem. Firstly, we can use Coulomb's Law, which states that the magnitude of the electric force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. In this case, we have an electron with a charge of -1.6 x 10^-19 C and a proton with a charge of +1.6 x 10^-19 C, separated by a distance of 5.3 x 10^-6 m. Plugging these values into the formula, we can calculate the magnitude of the electric force between the two particles.

Next, we can use the concept of superposition to find the net electric field at the third corner of the triangle. Since the electric field is a vector quantity, we need to consider both the magnitude and direction of the electric fields produced by the electron and proton individually. Since the charges of the particles are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign, the electric fields produced by them will also be equal in magnitude but opposite in direction. Using vector addition, we can find the net electric field at the third corner of the triangle.

It is important to note that the electric field is a vector quantity, so the answer will not be negative. Instead, it will have both a magnitude and a direction. The direction of the net electric field can be determined by the direction of the force on a positive test charge placed at the third corner of the triangle.

In summary, we can use Coulomb's Law and vector addition to calculate the net electric field at the third corner of the equilateral triangle formed by an electron and a proton. This approach will provide a more accurate and scientifically sound solution to the problem.