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czaitz
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I have attempted this problem twice and have one more chance before I get the "red ex" so I thought I'd check my thinking.
Two identical conducting spheres, fixed in place, attract each other with an electrostatic force of 0.136 N when their center-to-center separation is 65.0 cm. The spheres are then connected by a thin conducting wire. When the wire is removed, the spheres repel each other with an electrostatic force of 0.0477 N. Of the initial charges on the spheres, with a positive net charge, what was (a) the negative charge in coulombs on one of them and (b) the positive charge in coulombs on the other?
To find q I used Coulomb's equation, solving for q, which is the charge on the spheres after they touch. That was q= 1.497E-6 C.
Then I thought that F=k Q(Q+2q)/r^2 but that made for some hairy quadratic action trying to get Q and Q+2.
Plus they said my answers were wrong twice.
For this one I got Q = 1.05E-6 C and then the other (+) ball would be 6.11E-6 C.
Is my thinking anywhere in the ballpark? I'm not so sure on the second part.
Two identical conducting spheres, fixed in place, attract each other with an electrostatic force of 0.136 N when their center-to-center separation is 65.0 cm. The spheres are then connected by a thin conducting wire. When the wire is removed, the spheres repel each other with an electrostatic force of 0.0477 N. Of the initial charges on the spheres, with a positive net charge, what was (a) the negative charge in coulombs on one of them and (b) the positive charge in coulombs on the other?
To find q I used Coulomb's equation, solving for q, which is the charge on the spheres after they touch. That was q= 1.497E-6 C.
Then I thought that F=k Q(Q+2q)/r^2 but that made for some hairy quadratic action trying to get Q and Q+2.
Plus they said my answers were wrong twice.
For this one I got Q = 1.05E-6 C and then the other (+) ball would be 6.11E-6 C.
Is my thinking anywhere in the ballpark? I'm not so sure on the second part.