Electrostatics - Charged Plate Force Calculator

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a C# application designed to calculate the force between two oppositely charged plates in electrostatics. Participants are exploring the validity of the formulas used in the application and seeking clarification on the underlying principles of electrostatic force calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses skepticism about the output values of the app, suggesting they seem too high and requests verification of the formulas used.
  • Another participant points out that the Coulomb force formula for point charges is not applicable for calculating the force between charged plates.
  • There is a question regarding the meaning of "f/g" and its relevance to the calculations, with a suggestion that it may relate to the mass of an object.
  • A participant inquires about resources for finding the correct equations for the force between charged plates.
  • One participant mentions the concept of significant digits and questions whether the results are being displayed correctly.
  • A link to a lab exercise is provided as a potential resource for further information on electric forces.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on the correct formulas for calculating the force between charged plates, and there are multiple competing views regarding the appropriate approach to the problem.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved questions about the specific equations needed for the calculations, as well as the implications of significant digits in the results presented by the application.

SpiderPig
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Hey everyone,

This is my first post here, please forgive me if it's in the wrong place.

Years ago I made this small app in C# for calculating the force, in Newtons, between two oppositely charged plates that can take various parameters. I've never truly believed the numbers it outputs as they just seem too high to me. I'm curious if anyone here knows a bit about electrostatics and the formulas I've used, and if you'd be kind enough to either verify the formulas or shed some light on where I might have gone wrong. Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Here's a screenshot of the app with some parameters filled in. I'm happy to send the application to anyone who wants to test it out.

Matt

ChargedPlateForceScreenshot.png
 
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You wrote the Coulomb force on one point charge due to another point charge.
That, however, is not the force experienced by one charged plate due to another.

What is meant by f/g? Are you trying to computing the mass of something?

By the way, are you familiar with significant digits?

You can use a tool like Desmos (https://www.desmos.com/calculator) to prototype and to check your work.
 
robphy said:
You wrote the Coulomb force on one point charge due to another point charge.
That, however, is not the force experienced by one charged plate due to another.
Ah I see. Do you know where I might find some helpful information on the equation I need?

robphy said:
What is meant by f/g? Are you trying to computing the mass of something?
Yeah I think my idea here was - if the two plates were horizontal and were attracted to each other, how heavy an object can the bottom plate hold up without it separating.

robphy said:
By the way, are you familiar with significant digits?
No, I've not heard of the term before... am I displaying the results incorrectly?

robphy said:
You can use a tool like Desmos (https://www.desmos.com/calculator) to prototype and to check your work.

Cool, I'll use that! Many thanks!
 
Thankyou!
 

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