Equilibrium: Electrostatic force and Gravitational force

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the equilibrium of two identical balls, each with a mass of 38 g and carrying equal charges of 16 nC, suspended from threads of length 1.5 m. The forces acting on the balls are analyzed using the equations Fy: Tcosθ - mg = 0 and Fx: Tsinθ - (k*q²)/(x²) = 0. The next steps involve isolating the tension from one equation and substituting it into the other to solve for the horizontal distance x between the charges, utilizing trigonometric relationships and geometric principles.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electrostatic force calculations using Coulomb's Law.
  • Knowledge of gravitational force and its impact on suspended objects.
  • Familiarity with trigonometric functions, particularly sine and tangent.
  • Basic principles of equilibrium in physics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Study Coulomb's Law and its application in electrostatics.
  • Learn about tension in strings and its role in equilibrium problems.
  • Explore geometric relationships in triangles to relate angles and distances.
  • Investigate the concept of small angle approximation in physics.
USEFUL FOR

Students and educators in physics, particularly those focusing on electrostatics and mechanics, as well as anyone solving equilibrium problems involving forces and angles.

Swagger
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Two identical balls of mass 38 g are suspended from threads of length 1.5 m and carry equal charges of 16 nC as shown in the figure. Assume that θ is so small that its tangent can be replaced by its sine and find the value of x.

(picture attached)

I know that the sum of all the forces must equal zero.

Fy: Tcosθ-mg=0
Fx: Tsinθ-[(k*q^2)/(x^2)]=0

Are these correct? I'm also confused on where to go from here.
 

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Swagger said:
Two identical balls of mass 38 g are suspended from threads of length 1.5 m and carry equal charges of 16 nC as shown in the figure. Assume that θ is so small that its tangent can be replaced by its sine and find the value of x.

(picture attached)

I know that the sum of all the forces must equal zero.

Fy: Tcosθ-mg=0
Fx: Tsinθ-[(k*q^2)/(x^2)]=0

Are these correct? I'm also confused on where to go from here.
The figure does not show so I can't tell for sure but this looks correct at the condition that \theta is defined between a string and the vertical. And I assume that x is the total (horizontal) distance between the two charges. The next step is to solve for x. The best thing is to isolate the tension from one equation and to replace this in th esecond equation. You will end up with one equation without any tension (but the angle theta will still be there...it wil appear in the form of tan(\theta)). Now use geometry. You may replace than by sine, and from the drawing you can get an expression for the sine of the angle (in terms of the length of the string and of x)
 

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