How can a charge of 3.33 X 10^-9 coulomb be distributed between two pa...
Charge Distribution for Maximum Repulsive Force
When two particles are placed in air, they experience an electrostatic force of repulsion or attraction depending on their charges and distance between them. In order to find the charge distribution between two particles that maximizes their repulsive force, we can follow these steps:
Step 1: Calculate the Coulomb Force
The Coulomb force between two charged particles is given by:
F = (k * q1 * q2) / r^2
where F is the force, k is the Coulomb constant, q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, and r is the distance between them.
Step 2: Differentiate the Force with Respect to Charge
To find the maximum repulsive force between two particles, we need to differentiate the Coulomb force with respect to the charge of one of the particles. This will give us the value of the charge that maximizes the force. By setting the derivative to zero, we get:
(dF/dq1) = (k * q2) / r^2 = 0
which implies q2 = 0
This means that one of the particles should be neutral, and the entire charge should be on the other particle.
Step 3: Calculate the Charge on the Charged Particle
Now, we need to calculate the charge on the charged particle. We can use the formula:
q1 = F * r^2 / k
where F is the maximum repulsive force we want to achieve, r is the distance between the particles, and k is the Coulomb constant.
Substituting the values, we get:
q1 = (3.33 * 10^-9) * (5 * 10^-2)^2 / (9 * 10^9) = 4.63 * 10^-10 C
So, the charge on the charged particle should be 4.63 * 10^-10 C, and the neutral particle should have no charge.