Recent content by JustAStudent

Okay, yes, I get that. But you weren't explaining it like that earlier. Usually when I think of Net force I think of all the forces being added up (in this case, the external and the electrical field force).

Right. I guess in order for me to answer this question, I just don't see that why I would need to think about it so in depthly in order to answer this problem. If I inherently thought the forces were equal and opposite then I would just assume that the proton or electron never moved at all. I...

I don't think 'worry' is the right answer. It's the fact that Force=0 that confuses me if we're relating it back to Newton's 2nd law.

I feel like I'm going in circle then at this point with Newton's 2nd law. If acceleration is 0, would that not make force 0? I understand how you were saying that the original external force would have to be slightly greater than the electrical force for the proton/electron to move to begin...

So would that make the force=0 then? For both.

Okay so in that case the total acceleration then is constant. Or 0. . . yes?

Also, I thought because force has mass in it's equation (F=ma) that it would be related.

So why is it equal and opposite? If they were equal, how could the object be moving?

I know that the forces are the same because the work is the same. W=F*d. And I know the answer is E to this question. So I know that forces are the same I just don't understand WHY. I also don't know if this question is asking about the work done by the e-field or the work done by the external...

Okay rather than stating to me what I need to know, why don't you explain to me why I don't know what I don't know. I don't know why the accelerations are different or the same. Or if that's even relevant to the question at all. I've worked on this problem for about an hour and I don't...

Because of F=ma. If the masses are different then either the force is different or the acceleration has to compensate to make the forces be the same and I don't know why the accelerations are different.

Homework Statement A charged capacitor consists of two large flat plates, one with positive charge +Q and the other negative charge -Q. An external agent trans an electron from the positive plate to the negative and also transfers a proton from the negative plate to the positive plate. There is...

Okay, so I'm thinking of it incorrectly then. Force of Q3 ON Q1 means which way Q1 is going (attraction v repulsion) and not which way Q3 is going?

Homework Statement Q1<------>Q2<------>Q3 In the above figure, the distance between Q1 and Q2 is equal to the distance between Q2 and Q3. That distance is R=1.5 m. Q1= 2.24x10-6 C, Q2=+Q1 and Q3=-Q1. Calculate the total force on Q1. Give your answer with a positive number for a force...