Point Charges True and False problems

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a university student's struggle with a physics assignment on point charges, specifically regarding multiple-choice questions about electric fields and forces. The student has attempted the questions multiple times without success and is seeking clarification on the concepts involved. Key points include the understanding that electric fields created by point charges are not uniform and that symmetry plays a crucial role in determining net forces. The student expresses a desire for a clearer explanation to grasp the underlying principles rather than relying on guesswork. Overall, the thread highlights the challenges faced by students in grasping complex physics concepts without immediate access to help.
Joseph Duchesne
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Hi,
I'm currently taking first year physics in university and I have an online assignment due tonight. Due to it being saturday, I cannot contact any of the TAs or professors for help, and my friends and I are stumped.

I had 15 tries at answering this question and now I only have 2 left.
The attached image contains the question.

My current guess is:
A: I don't know
B: I don't know this one either
C: False because the electric fields don't cancel each-other out
D: False because the field isn't symmetrical enough. It would probably point closer to -x + y/2
E: False, the lighter mass on the left would accelerate faster with the equal force
F: False? (I don't think this zeroes, but this is kind of a guess)

I would really like to understand how to do this, and unfortunately my class notes, textbook and friends have failed to get me the right answer so far.

I would really appreciate it if I could have even just one of these multiple choice questions explained to me. To be honest I'm really not sure what I'm doing and my friends finished their assignments (similar questions) through a lot of guesswork.

Thank you!
 

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A: False, because the electric field created by the point charge is not uniform across the plane of the two masses.B: True, because the electric fields from the point charges on either side cancel each other out.C: False, because the electric fields do not cancel each other out.D: True, because the electric fields are symmetrical and therefore the net electric force would point towards the center of the plane.E: False, because the heavier mass on the right will experience a larger force due to its greater mass. F: True, because the net electric force on the plane is zero.
 
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