Find electric field of a spherical shell

In summary, A thin spherical shell of radius 6.8 m with a total charge of 7.77 C has an electric field of 6.4568 * 10^9 N/C at a distance of 10.4 m from the center of the shell. This was calculated using the formula E = ke * (Q/r^2) and the constant ke = 8.988 * 10^9 Nm^2/C^2.
  • #1
unteng10
10
0
1. A thin spherical shell of radius 6.8 m has a total charge of 7.77 C distributed uniformly over its surface. Find the electric field E 10.4 m from the center of the shell. Answer in units of N/C.
ke = 8.988 * 10^9 Nm^2/C^2




2. E = ke * (Q/r^2)



3. I did (8.988 * 10^9 Nm^2/C^2)(7.77 C/10.4m^2)
The answer I came up with is 6.4568 * 10^9 N/C, am I doing this correctly?
 
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  • #2
Yes, looks good to me!
 
  • #3
I thought so too, but for some reason it keeps telling me my answer is incorrect.
 
  • #4
Do you know the right answer? Are you off by a certain order of magnitude? If yes, you should check to make sure you wrote the units properly. I've forgotten to take into account unit modifiers like micro and nano before. Just a thought, since your work is correct as is.
 
  • #5
unteng10 said:
3. I did (8.988 * 10^9 Nm^2/C^2)(7.77 C/10.4m^2)
The answer I came up with is 6.4568 * 10^9 N/C, am I doing this correctly?
The formula is fine, you just made an arithmetic error. (Careful with decimal points.)
 

1. What is a spherical shell?

A spherical shell is a three-dimensional object that has a hollow spherical shape, with an inner and outer surface. It is commonly used in physics to represent the shape of objects such as planets or particles.

2. How do you find the electric field of a spherical shell?

To find the electric field of a spherical shell, you can use Gauss's law. This states that the electric field at any point outside the shell is equal to the charge enclosed by the shell divided by the permittivity of free space multiplied by the square of the distance from the center of the shell.

3. What is the equation for the electric field of a spherical shell?

The equation for the electric field of a spherical shell is E = Q / (4πε0r2), where Q is the total charge enclosed by the shell, ε0 is the permittivity of free space, and r is the distance from the center of the shell.

4. Can the electric field of a spherical shell be negative?

Yes, the electric field of a spherical shell can be negative. This would occur if the charge enclosed by the shell is negative, or if the distance from the center of the shell is greater than the radius of the shell.

5. What is the direction of the electric field of a spherical shell?

The direction of the electric field of a spherical shell is radial, meaning it points directly away from or towards the center of the shell. The direction is determined by the sign of the charge enclosed by the shell.

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