Electric Potential and Coulomb's Law Questions

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around electric potential and Coulomb's law, focusing on problems involving the electric potential function due to a uniformly distributed charge, the motion of an electron in an electric field, and the kinetic energy of an electron moving towards a positively charged nucleus.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the calculation of electric potential from a uniformly spread charge along the x-axis, questioning the integration process and the appearance of a natural logarithm in the solution.
  • There are inquiries about the relationship between electric potential and kinetic energy for an electron moving between two points of different potentials, with some participants expressing confusion over the variables involved.
  • Discussion includes the potential energy of an electron at infinity compared to its potential energy at a specific distance from a nucleus, with questions about energy conservation in this context.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problems, sharing their attempts and expressing confusion over specific aspects of the calculations. Some have provided insights into the integration process for electric potential, while others are questioning the assumptions and definitions involved in the problems.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note the complexity of the problems and the presence of multiple unknowns, which complicates their attempts to find solutions. There is also mention of homework constraints and the need to clarify the setup of the problems.

dillonmhudson
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Any answers would be great, thanks!

Homework Statement


1. A charge Q is uniformly spread along the x-axis from x=0 to x=l. Find the electric potential function at points on the x-axis for x>l.

2. An electron moves from one point to another where the second point has a larger value of the electric potential by 5 volts. If the initial velocity was zero, how fast will the electron be going at the second point? (The mass of the electron is 9.11E-31 kg)

3. Suppose an electron were moving in a straight line towards a fixed nucleus which had a positive charge 8 times the size of the charge on an electron. If the electron started at infinity with essentially zero velocity, how fast would it be moving when it was 50E-11 m from the nucleus?

Homework Equations



Coulomb's Law = [tex]\alpha[/tex]*[q1*q2]/r^2
where [tex]\alpha[/tex]=1/[4*[tex]\pi[/tex]*[tex]\epsilon[/tex][tex]_{}0[/tex]

U=1/[4*pi*epsilon-sub0]*[q*q sub0]/r

V=U/[q sub0]

The Attempt at a Solution



1. dV=1/[4*pi*epsilon]*[(Q/l)*dx]/[x-l]
dV=1/[4*pi*epsilon]*Q/l
I don't know what to do with this one, the answer has a natural log (ln) in it.

2. KE(initial) + U(initial) = KE(final) + U(final)
0+1/[4*pi*epsilon]*q/r = 1/2 * m * v(final)^2 + 1/[4*pi*epsilon]*q/r
Not sure what to do here either, seem to have three unknowns
Answer = 1.33E6 m/s

3. KE(initial) + U(initial) = KE(final) + U(final)
0=1/2*9.109E-31(mass of an electron)*v(final)^2+9E9*[8*(1.6E-19)^2]/[50E-11]
I don't understand this one eitherThanks for all the help!
 
Last edited:
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dillonmhudson said:
Any answers would be great, thanks!

Homework Statement


1. A charge Q is uniformly spread along the x-axis from x=0 to x=l. Find the electric potential function at points on the x-axis for x>l.

2. An electron moves from one point to another where the second point has a larger value of the electric potential by 5 volts. If the initial velocity was zero, how fast will the electron be going at the second point? (The mass of the electron is 9.11E-31 kg)

3. Suppose an electron were moving in a straight line towards a fixed nucleus which had a positive charge 8 times the size of the charge on an electron. If the electron started at infinity with essentially zero velocity, how fast would it be moving when it was 50E-11 m from the nucleus?

Homework Equations



Coulomb's Law = [tex]\alpha[/tex]*[q1*q2]/r^2
where [tex]\alpha[/tex]=1/[4*[tex]\pi[/tex]*[tex]\epsilon[/tex][tex]_{}0[/tex]

U=1/[4*pi*epsilon-sub0]*[q*q sub0]/r

V=U/[q sub0]

The Attempt at a Solution



1. dV=1/[4*pi*epsilon]*[(Q/l)*dx]/[x-l]
dV=1/[4*pi*epsilon]*Q/l
I don't know what to do with this one, the answer has a natural log (ln) in it.
Let s be the position on the x-axis at which the potential is measured. Write out the expression for potential due to the charge element Qdx/l at a position x where [itex]0 \le x \le l[/itex]

2. KE(initial) + U(initial) = KE(final) + U(final)
0+1/[4*pi*epsilon]*q/r = 1/2 * m * v(final)^2 + 1/[4*pi*epsilon]*q/r
Not sure what to do here either, seem to have three unknowns
Answer = 1.33E6 m/s
How much kinetic energy does the electron acquire in moving to the second point? (Hint: for a negative charge, the second position is at a lower potential energy per unit negative charge by 5 joules/coulomb).

3. KE(initial) + U(initial) = KE(final) + U(final)
0=1/2*9.109E-31(mass of an electron)*v(final)^2+9E9*[8*(1.6E-19)^2]/[50E-11]
I don't understand this one either
What is the potential energy of the electron at infinity? What is it at the given distance? Where does that potential energy go?

AM
 
I'm still not getting question 4...
 
There is no question 4.
 
sorry it's 4 in my book, question 1
 
The electric potential at point P, along the line, is kq/r d is the distance from the end of the rod to the point.
So...
[tex]dV = \frac{k}{x}dq[/tex]
[tex]dq = \lambda dx = Q/L dx[/tex]
[tex]dV = \frac{kQ}{Lx}dx[/tex]
Then integrate from d to L + d.
 
Last edited:
Ok thanks! Got it!
I had:
int[k*[(Q/L)dx]/(a-x)] from 0,L

where L is the distance of where the charge is spread

Thanks a lot!
 

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