Conical pendulum with two charges

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a conical pendulum system involving two equally charged spheres that are spinning in a circular trajectory. The original poster presents parameters such as the length of the pendulum, the weight of the spheres, and the angular speed, aiming to find the charge on the spheres based on the centripetal force and Coulomb's law.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to calculate the charge required for the system to maintain its circular motion, using centripetal force and Coulomb's law. Some participants question the accuracy of the centripetal force calculation and the nature of the charges involved, suggesting that the charges should be opposite to create the necessary force direction. Others inquire about the setup, specifically whether the spheres are suspended from wires.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing feedback on the calculations and assumptions made by the original poster. There is an indication of productive questioning regarding the forces acting on the charges and the need for a free body diagram to clarify the forces involved.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of a potential typographical error in the angular velocity, which was initially misstated. The setup involves assumptions about the charges being equal and the configuration of the pendulum, which are under scrutiny.

Gabriel Maia
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The sistem above is the one I'm interested in. There is two equally charged spheres spinning on a plane. The line has L=[itex]\sqrt{2}[/itex] m and the spheres weight 0.6Kg. The angular speed is [itex]\omega[/itex] = 2rad/[itex]s[/itex].

The radius for the circular trajectory is R=1m and so the centripetal force is [itex]F_{c}=m\omega^{2}R=2.4N[/itex].

I must find the charges q so

[itex]2.4=k\frac{q^{2}}{(2R)^{2}}[/itex], right? Where [itex]k=9*10^{9}N m^{2} C^{-2}[/itex].

I found q=32.7[itex]\mu C[/itex] but the problem is said to have an answer 40[itex]\mu C[/itex].

Where have I commited a mistake if any?

Thank you.
 
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Maybe you mistyped some numbers, but the centripetal force you calculated seems a couple of orders of magnitude off.
Secondly, you show the spheres as having the same charge, not opposite charges, so they are not going to provide a force in the right direction.
Thirdly, the diagram makes it look as though they are suspended from wires. Is that the case?
 
haruspex said:
Maybe you mistyped some numbers, but the centripetal force you calculated seems a couple of orders of magnitude off.
Secondly, you show the spheres as having the same charge, not opposite charges, so they are not going to provide a force in the right direction.
Thirdly, the diagram makes it look as though they are suspended from wires. Is that the case?

I mistyped the angular velocity. I wrote 0.2... now it's corrected. It should be 2.

They are repelling each other and yes they are suspended from wires. The component of the wire's tension pointing to the center of the circular trajectory balances the Coulomb force. This system is spinning in this configuration.
 
Gabriel Maia said:
I mistyped the angular velocity. I wrote 0.2... now it's corrected. It should be 2.

They are repelling each other and yes they are suspended from wires. The component of the wire's tension pointing to the center of the circular trajectory balances the Coulomb force. This system is spinning in this configuration.
Ok, so draw yourself a free body diagram of one charge. What are the forces on it and which way do they act? What do the horizontal and vertical Fnet=ma equations tell you?
 

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