Electrodynamics i need some help

[ggups]

Hi,
This is my first post, am excited to be here. Cutting to the chase here, i have a question that has been bothering me for a while.
The problem is there is a charged cylinder with charge say +1, and i have to charges outside say at a distance 'd' from the center of the cylinder such that they lie in a single staright line passing thorugh the center. Now i wish to find the equillibrum distance of the charges from the cylinder(by symmetry both are equsidistant from the center of the cylinder). Also the charges are -1/2. How can i calculate the distance using method of images.


thanks
ggups

 

[ggups]

some modification

The previous problem that i gave has some modification. I have written some details in the document.
Thanks
ggups

 

[Graeme Robinson]

Hi ggups,

Welcome to the forum! It's great to have you here. Electrodynamics can definitely be a challenging subject, so don't worry if you're struggling with a particular problem.

To solve this problem, you can use the method of images. This involves creating a virtual image charge that is a mirror image of the original charge with respect to the cylinder. The distance between the two charges will be the same as the distance between the real charge and the cylinder.

In this case, the virtual charge will also have a magnitude of +1, since it is a mirror image of the original charge. So, the electric field at the center of the cylinder will be the sum of the electric fields from the real charge and the virtual charge.

Using Coulomb's law, you can calculate the electric field from the real charge at the center of the cylinder, and then use the principle of superposition to add the electric field from the virtual charge. Setting this total electric field to zero will give you the equilibrium distance of the charges from the cylinder.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions. Good luck with your studies!