Electrostatics 1st year engineering

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on determining the ratio of electric charges Q and q at the corners of a rhombus structure made of rods, specifically under static conditions. The user analyzes the forces acting on the charges, including Coulomb forces and tension in the rods, to derive equations for angles of 90, 60, and 45 degrees. The user seeks clarification on the signs of the charges and how to isolate the ratio Q/q from the derived equations. The analysis involves balancing forces and applying Coulomb's law in a static equilibrium context.

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  • Knowledge of static equilibrium and force balance
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at each corner of a rhobus , made of rods, each with a length of B, there are electric charges of "Q" and "q" so that each q charge is opposite a q charge and each Q charge opposite a Q charge. what does the ratio of Q/q need to be so that the angle (alpha) is

a)90 degrees
b)60 degrees
c)45 degrees
(take the tension of the rods into account)

i started up by taking one of the corners and analyzing the forces on it, since the shape is static, Ftotal=0.
i took the top Q charge and said, what are the forces acting on it,

the Coulumb force F(Q-Q) which pushes it upwards
the Coulumb force F(Q-q) which (depends on the charge)
the tension os the rods T

my problem is that i do not know which of the charges are negative(if any) or positive, so i cannot decide on the directions of the forces, the only one i do know is F(Q-Q) since Q must repell Q,

diagram below


diagram below
http://picasaweb.google.com/devanlevin/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCL_4l4PpvP_YsQE#5311131135994735922
 
Last edited by a moderator:
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what i did so far is:

since i don't know the sign of q, the coulomb force can either repell or attract Q

F(QQ)=2Tcos(α/2) ± 2F(Qq)cos(α/2)

q will always repell q so T is the force which balance that
2Tsin(α/2) = F(qq)


F(QQ)=F(qq)cot(α/2) ± 2F(Qq)cos(α/2)

K[tex]\frac{QQ}{(2b*cos(alpha/2))^2}[/tex] = K[tex]\frac{qq}{(2b*sin(alpha/2))^2}[/tex]*cot(alpha/2) ± 2K[tex]\frac{Qq}{b^2}[/tex]cos(alpha/2)

(Q/q) * [tex]\frac{Q}{cos^2(alpha/2)}[/tex] = [tex]\frac{q}{sin^2(alpha/2)}[/tex]*cot(alpha/2) ± 8Qcos(alpha/2)

1st of all, is this alright?
2nd of all, how do i find Q/q from this?? how do i get the q's and Q's out of this equation?
 
Last edited:

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