How Do You Calculate Electric Forces and Fields in AP Physics Problems?

AI Thread Summary
To calculate electric forces and fields in AP Physics problems, use Coulomb's law (F = k * q1 * q2 / r^2) to find the electric force between charges, such as the electron and proton in a hydrogen atom. For determining the electron's orbital speed and centripetal acceleration, relate the electric force to the centripetal force required for circular motion. In addressing the vertical electric field that supports a proton or electron's weight, consider the gravitational force acting on the particles. The electric field at the center of a square configuration can be calculated by vector addition of the fields due to each charge. Understanding these relationships is crucial for solving the assigned problems effectively.
se1zure
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
Hi, my name is Cory. I need a little help with one of my AP physics assignments, dealing with Electric Charge, Forces and Fields.

I got most of the problems, however here are a few I could use some help / be walked through on.

Problem 36)
On average, the electron and proton in a hydrogen atom are separated by a distance of (5.3 x 10 -11 m), assuming the orbit of the electron to be circular,
(a) what is the electric force on the electron? and (b) WHat is the electrons orbital speed? and (c) What is teh magnitude of the electrons entripetal acceleration in units of (g).
-------------------------------------------
I'm guessing I need to use fe = kqq
----
r^2
however, I'm not sure where rotational comes into play, nor how to do the rotational portion.
--------------------------------------------

Problem 55)
What would be the magnitude and the direction of a vertical electric field that would just support the weight of a proton on the surface of the Earth? of an Electron?


and lastly,

Problem 61)
What is the electric field at the center of the sqaure in the following figure:

 

Attachments

  • Phycis-15---61.jpg
    Phycis-15---61.jpg
    13.3 KB · Views: 498
Physics news on Phys.org
For problem 36, you do need to use the equation listed to figure out the force on the electron for part a. Once you have the force, how can you relate that to the electrons speed and acceleration?
 
I multiplied the values first without the error limit. Got 19.38. rounded it off to 2 significant figures since the given data has 2 significant figures. So = 19. For error I used the above formula. It comes out about 1.48. Now my question is. Should I write the answer as 19±1.5 (rounding 1.48 to 2 significant figures) OR should I write it as 19±1. So in short, should the error have same number of significant figures as the mean value or should it have the same number of decimal places as...
Thread 'A cylinder connected to a hanging mass'
Let's declare that for the cylinder, mass = M = 10 kg Radius = R = 4 m For the wall and the floor, Friction coeff = ##\mu## = 0.5 For the hanging mass, mass = m = 11 kg First, we divide the force according to their respective plane (x and y thing, correct me if I'm wrong) and according to which, cylinder or the hanging mass, they're working on. Force on the hanging mass $$mg - T = ma$$ Force(Cylinder) on y $$N_f + f_w - Mg = 0$$ Force(Cylinder) on x $$T + f_f - N_w = Ma$$ There's also...
Back
Top