Calculating Force Magnitude on a Charge in a Multi-Charge System

[talaroue]

Homework Statement

What is the force on the q1 charge? (a=3.41 cm, b=5.45 cm, q1=5.63 nC, q2=9.65 nC, q3=-5.93 nC.) Give your answer as a magnitude.

Homework Equations

F=K(q1q2/R^2)

The Attempt at a Solution

What am I doing wrong?

 

[rl.bhat]

Homework Statement

What is the force on the q1 charge? (a=3.41 cm, b=5.45 cm, q1=5.63 nC, q2=9.65 nC, q3=-5.93 nC.) Give your answer as a magnitude.

Homework Equations

F=K(q1q2/R^2)

The Attempt at a Solution

What am I doing wrong?

Angle between F₂ and y-axis not 45 degrees.
Take the components of F₂ on x-axis and y-axis.
Find the resultant of F_{1 and x component. Then find the resultant of this and y=component.}

 

[talaroue]

I am not sure what you mean. do you mean tan(theata)= F2/F1...?

 

[rl.bhat]

tanθ =a/b where a is the distance between q1 and q3 and b is the distance between q2 and q3

 

[HallsofIvy]

You tell us that "a=3.41 cm, b=5.45 cm" but there is no "a" or "b" in your picture. I believe that rlbhat is assuming that that they are the x and y coordiantes of a2. Is that the case?