Applications of Coulomb’s Law Physics 12

Coulomb Sample Problem Three charges are arranged in a line; if the three charges are 15μC, -12μC and 18μC respectively. The distance between the first two charges is 0.20m and the second and third charges is 0.30m. What is the force experienced by the first charge?

Coulomb Sample Problem What force is experienced by the remaining two charges?

Force (Vector) Addition To add forces, resolve each force into its components and treat the forces in the x-direction and y-direction independently Once you sum the x and y components, use Pythagorean Theorem and Trigonometry to resolve into a resultant force

Example A point P has forces of 12.0N at 24.3°, 17.6N at 112°, 6.78N at 241° and 10.2N at 74.4°. Determine the resultant vector 25.5N, 81.4°

Coulomb’s Law and Vector Addition When we consider an electrostatic system, we need to use Coulomb’s Law to determine the magnitude and direction of each force Once the magnitude and direction of each force has been determined, then the vector sum can be completed

Coulomb’s Law in 2D Three charges are arranged as follows; a -2.0μC is placed 4.0m due north of a 3.0μC charge and 3.0m due west of a 5.0μC charge. What is the force experienced by the -2.0μC charge?

Coulomb’s Law in 2D -2.0μC 5.0 μ C 1 3.0m 3 4.0m 3.0 μ C 2

Coulomb’s Law in 2D 3.0 μ C 2

Coulomb’s Law in 2D Use the x and y component data to determine the resultant force vector

Practice Problems Page 640 6-10 Page 642 1-7