Electric field for point charge

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
4 replies · 8K views
tuggler
Messages
45
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement




You charge a piece of aluminum foil (mass = 4.65 g) by touching it to a charged rod. The charged rod gives the aluminum foil a charge of 10 µC. Your professor brings a charged plate over and tells you to put the aluminum foil on top of the plate. To your surprise the aluminum foil hovers motionless in the air above it! Calculate the value of the electric field from the charged plate (assume it is a uniform field and the aluminum foil is a point charge).

Homework Equations



F = Eq and F = ma



The Attempt at a Solution



What I did was first calculate the gravitational force with the equation F = ma = (9.8m/s^2)(4.65g) = 45.6 N. Then I use the equation [tex]F = Eq \implies E= F/q[/tex], where E = electric field, q = charge, and F = force.

Thus F = 45.6, q = 10e-6 [tex]\implies[/tex] 45.6N/(10e-6 µC ) = 455700 N/C.

But it is wrong. What did I do wrong? Thanks in advance!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
tuggler said:
What I did was first calculate the gravitational force with the equation F = ma = (9.8m/s^2)(4.65g) = 45.6 N.

Do grams times meters per seconds squared give Newtons?
 
No, it does not, but kilograms over s^2 does.
 
So what's the correct weight then?
 
It is 4557 N/C. THANKS!