What is the magnitude of the charge inside the box?

Perhaps the molecule is aligned along the x-axis, so that the O atom is at (0,0,0), the H atoms are at (+/- 1.1E-10, 0, 0) and the plate is on the yz-plane. But that's just a guess. Or perhaps you're supposed to ignore the charges on the plate and just compute the torque due to the electric field at the location of the molecule. I cannot say without further information.
  • #1
azazelis
1
0
hey i have 2 problems I'm stuck on for my physics class. any help would be great.


1.

Let us assume that the Cassini-Huygens probe which landed on the Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005 reported that it found a cubical box with a side of l=3.81 cm. Scientists in the flight center suspect that there may be electric charge inside the box and order the probe to measure the component of the electric field perpendicular to each side of the box before an attempt to open the box. The probe reports back that for four sides of the box the perpendicular component of the electric field is below the sensitivity of instruments and can be safely assumed to be zero, however, on the two opposite sides the probe measures a nearly uniform, inward-oriented, perpendicular component of the field with the magnitude of 22.7 N/C. It is your job to calculate the charge inside the box. You know that if the charge inside is negative and larger than 0.64 pC the discharge will most likely destroy the communication module of the probe and years of work and efforts may be lost. On the other hand, the box may contain the unprecedented information regarding inteligent life in our solar system.

What is the magnitude of the charge inside the box?

What i have: (22.7)*(8.85^-12)*(.0381^2)^2


2.

Suppose a large charged conducting plate with a surface charge density σ = +4.43 μC/m2 is located 5.0 cm from a drop of water. Suppose we consider a molecule of water for which the 2 H atoms (orange) and the O atom (blue) are co-planar with the electric field, and the angle θ between the direction of the point charges and one of the H atoms is 35.0 degrees, as shown. What is the magnitude of the torque on the water molecule?

What i have: ( σ / ε ) * (6.2E-30) * (sin 105/2+θ)


I have tried these about a hundred times and still can't get the answers. Any help would be amazing.
 
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  • #2
azazelis said:
1.

Let us assume that the Cassini-Huygens probe which landed on the Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005 reported that it found a cubical box with a side of l=3.81 cm. Scientists in the flight center suspect that there may be electric charge inside the box and order the probe to measure the component of the electric field perpendicular to each side of the box before an attempt to open the box. The probe reports back that for four sides of the box the perpendicular component of the electric field is below the sensitivity of instruments and can be safely assumed to be zero, however, on the two opposite sides the probe measures a nearly uniform, inward-oriented, perpendicular component of the field with the magnitude of 22.7 N/C. It is your job to calculate the charge inside the box. You know that if the charge inside is negative and larger than 0.64 pC the discharge will most likely destroy the communication module of the probe and years of work and efforts may be lost. On the other hand, the box may contain the unprecedented information regarding inteligent life in our solar system.

What is the magnitude of the charge inside the box?

What i have: (22.7)*(8.85^-12)*(.0381^2)^2

I think that last square should be replaced by a factor of two, but besides that it looks ok.

2.

Suppose a large charged conducting plate with a surface charge density σ = +4.43 μC/m2 is located 5.0 cm from a drop of water. Suppose we consider a molecule of water for which the 2 H atoms (orange) and the O atom (blue) are co-planar with the electric field, and the angle θ between the direction of the point charges and one of the H atoms is 35.0 degrees, as shown. What is the magnitude of the torque on the water molecule?

What i have: ( σ / ε ) * (6.2E-30) * (sin 105/2+θ)

I don't think you've given enough information here. I'm sure the model of the water molecule you're given is greatly simplified, so you'll have to describe it more carefully.
 
  • #3


1. To calculate the charge inside the box, we can use the formula for electric field: E = kq/r^2, where E is the electric field, k is the Coulomb's constant (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2), q is the charge, and r is the distance from the charge.

Since we know the electric field (22.7 N/C) and the distance (l/2 = 1.905 cm) for one of the sides, we can rearrange the formula to solve for q:

q = Er^2/k = (22.7 N/C) * (0.01905 m)^2 / (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) = 9.59 x 10^-9 C

Therefore, the magnitude of the charge inside the box is 9.59 nanocoulombs.

2. To calculate the torque on the water molecule, we can use the formula for torque: τ = rFsinθ, where τ is the torque, r is the distance from the axis of rotation (in this case, the distance between the H atom and the O atom), F is the force, and θ is the angle between the force and the lever arm.

In this case, the force is the electric field acting on the molecule, and the lever arm is the distance between the molecule and the conducting plate (5.0 cm). So we can rewrite the formula as:

τ = (5.0 cm) * (Fsinθ) = (5.0 cm) * (σ/ε) * (sinθ) = (5.0 cm) * (4.43 x 10^-6 C/m^2) * (sin35.0°) = 1.06 x 10^-9 Nm

Therefore, the magnitude of the torque on the water molecule is 1.06 nanonewton meters.
 

1. What is meant by "magnitude of charge" in this context?

In this context, the magnitude of charge refers to the amount of electric charge that is present inside the box. It is a measure of the strength of the electric field inside the box.

2. How is the magnitude of charge inside the box measured?

The magnitude of charge inside the box can be measured using a device called an electric field meter. This meter can detect the strength of the electric field and give a numerical value for the magnitude of charge.

3. Can the magnitude of charge inside the box be negative?

Yes, the magnitude of charge inside the box can be negative. This indicates the presence of negatively charged particles inside the box, such as electrons.

4. What factors can affect the magnitude of charge inside the box?

The magnitude of charge inside the box can be affected by the number and type of charged particles present, the distance between the particles, and the material of the box itself. It can also be influenced by external electric fields and sources of electricity.

5. How does the magnitude of charge inside the box relate to the overall charge of the box?

The magnitude of charge inside the box is a measure of the total amount of charge present inside the box. It is directly related to the overall charge of the box, which is the sum of all the individual charges inside the box.

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