Electriccal charges and vectors

In summary, the conversation revolves around finding the horizontal and vertical components of the resultant electrostatic force on a charge located in the lower left corner of a square, with given values of q and a. The discussants have different answers and are trying to identify the error in their calculations. The correct answer, as stated in the book, is approximately .026626077 N assuming the positive direction is to the right.
  • #1
Rave Grrl
10
0
Code:
+q    -a-    -q

|            |
a            a
|            |

+2q   -a-  -2q
What are the horizontal and vertical components of the resultant electrostatic force on the charge in the lower left corner of the square if q = 0.9 10-7 C and a = 4.4 cm? (Assume the positive directions are upward and to the right.)


For the horizontal component I got .0013081 N and for the Vertical I got 4.321 N, but neither one is correct.

I found the charge between +2q and -2q, and then I added the charge from +2q to -q times cos(45). That should have given me the horizontal charge but it didn't. What am I doing wrong?
 
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  • #2
your answer for the horizontal component is a factor of 2 off (that is my answer is twice the value of your answer), did you account for the 2q?

edit: if show your equations we can see exactly where an error occured
 
  • #3
If your answer is .0026162 N that isn't correct either. I don't really know how to show the calculations here though.
 
  • #4
The exact answer I got was .026626077 N, which is assuming that the positive direction is to the right. What does the book say the correct answer is?
 

1. What are electric charges?

Electric charges are physical properties of matter that cause it to experience a force when placed in an electric field. There are two types of electric charges - positive and negative.

2. How do electric charges interact with each other?

Opposite charges attract each other, while like charges repel each other. This is known as the Law of Electric Charges.

3. What is the unit of electric charge?

The unit of electric charge is the Coulomb (C).

4. What is an electric field?

An electric field is a region in space where an electric charge experiences a force. It is represented by electric field lines, which show the direction and strength of the electric field.

5. How are vectors used to represent electric charges?

Vectors are used to represent electric charges because they have both magnitude (size) and direction. The direction of the vector represents the direction of the electric field, while the magnitude represents the strength of the electric field.

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