The discussion revolves around calculating the unknown charge based on the force exerted by a known charge and addressing the components of forces in a multi-charge system. The subject area includes electrostatics and force calculations between charged particles.
Some participants have provided guidance regarding the sign of the charge and the need for precision in significant figures. There is an ongoing exploration of how to calculate the y component of the force acting on a charge, with multiple interpretations of the problem being considered.
Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the information they can share or the methods they can use. There is also a mention of potential rounding issues in calculations.
ACLerok said:a charge of -0.55 * 10^-6 C exerts an upward force of magnitude .250 N on an unknown charge that is .3 meters directly below it. i am to find the unknown charge but I keep getting -5 *10^-6 which I keep getting told its wrong. Can someone give me a hand here? thANKS
nrqed said:As someone else mentioned, your sign is wrong. Other than that, your value is close but it looks like you rounded off too much. Given the data, you should have kept two sig figs.
Pat
nrqed said:As someone else mentioned, your sign is wrong. Other than that, your value is close but it looks like you rounded off too much. Given the data, you should have kept two sig figs.
Pat