Electriccal charges and vectors

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the horizontal and vertical components of the resultant electrostatic force on a charge within a square configuration of other charges. The problem involves understanding the interactions between multiple point charges and their respective distances.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss their calculations for the horizontal and vertical components of the electrostatic force, with some questioning the correctness of their values and the methods used to derive them. There are mentions of potential errors in accounting for the influence of the charge +2q.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants sharing their calculated values and questioning each other's results. Some have offered corrections or alternative interpretations of the calculations, but there is no clear consensus on the correct approach or final answer.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the positive directions for the components are defined as upward and to the right. There is also a mention of difficulty in presenting calculations clearly within the forum format.

Rave Grrl
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Code:
+q    -a-    -q

|            |
a            a
|            |

+2q   -a-  -2q
What are the horizontal and vertical components of the resultant electrostatic force on the charge in the lower left corner of the square if q = 0.9 10-7 C and a = 4.4 cm? (Assume the positive directions are upward and to the right.)


For the horizontal component I got .0013081 N and for the Vertical I got 4.321 N, but neither one is correct.

I found the charge between +2q and -2q, and then I added the charge from +2q to -q times cos(45). That should have given me the horizontal charge but it didn't. What am I doing wrong?
 
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your answer for the horizontal component is a factor of 2 off (that is my answer is twice the value of your answer), did you account for the 2q?

edit: if show your equations we can see exactly where an error occurred
 
If your answer is .0026162 N that isn't correct either. I don't really know how to show the calculations here though.
 
The exact answer I got was .026626077 N, which is assuming that the positive direction is to the right. What does the book say the correct answer is?
 

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