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Homework 1, Solutions PDF

1. The document contains solutions to 5 problems from Physics 108 problem set #1. 2. The first problem explains that rubbing a comb through hair gives it a net electric charge, which then attracts neutral pieces of tissue paper due to polarization. When the tissue touches the comb, it shares its charge and the now like-charged objects repel violently. 3. The second problem calculates that a second electron 5.1 meters below the first electron would experience zero net force from gravity and the electric force of the first electron.

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Ying Yao
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156 views2 pages

Homework 1, Solutions PDF

1. The document contains solutions to 5 problems from Physics 108 problem set #1. 2. The first problem explains that rubbing a comb through hair gives it a net electric charge, which then attracts neutral pieces of tissue paper due to polarization. When the tissue touches the comb, it shares its charge and the now like-charged objects repel violently. 3. The second problem calculates that a second electron 5.1 meters below the first electron would experience zero net force from gravity and the electric force of the first electron.

Uploaded by

Ying Yao
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHYSICS 108 PROBLEM SET # 1

Solutions
Please read Chapter 25 Electric Forces and Charges in Resnick, Halliday and Krane Physics, vol 2, 5
th
Ed.
1. Shortie: We saw in class that a charged comb attracts bits of tissue paper, and after touching
the comb, the bits of paper often jump away violently. Explain (this is a shortie, your
answer should take up no more than 2 inches of space!)
Rubbing the comb thru your hair gives it a net charge, via friction. The bits of tissue paper
are initially electrically neutral, and become polarized (remaining neutral) as the comb is
moved near them, and are therefore attracted to the comb. But sometimes, soon as the tissue
papers touch the comb, if the contact is good enough, the comb then shares its charge with
the tissue, and since both the comb and the tissues are now like-charged, - they repel each
other and fly away.
(To further explore this effect, check out the PHET simulation I showed briefly in class:
Balloons and Static Electricity, linked in our VISTA page: rub the balloon on a sweater to
charge the balloon, then see how the charged balloon interacts with the neutral wall you can
actually see the charges.).
2. An electron is in a vacuum near the surface of the Earth. Where should you place a second
electron so that the net force on the first electron (due to the other electron and gravity) is
zero?
Set the magnitudes of the electric and gravitational forces acting upon the electron to be equal:

1
4
0
q
2
r
2
= mg
Then solve for r:
r =
1
4
0
q
2
m
e
g
=
(8.99 10
9
N m
2
/ C
2
) (1.602 10
19
C)
2
(9.1110
31
kg) (9.81m / s
2
)
= 5.1m
So the 2
nd
electron must be placed 5.1 meters below the first electron, along the line joining the first electron
and the earths center.
(This gives you a feel for the relative strengths of the forces: one little electron 5 meters away from another
electron exerts the same force on it as the force of gravity which is due to the whole earth!)
3. What is the force

F
ur
on the 1nC charge shown below? (Remember that

F
ur
is a vector)
Label the charges as shown. The net electric force on q
1
is the vector sum
of the forces exerted by the other three charges: q
2
, q
3
, and q
4
:


r
F
2 on 1
=
K q
1
q
2
r
2
, away from q
2

=
9.0 10
9
N m
2
/C
2
( ) 110
9
C ( ) 2 10
9
C ( )
5.0 10
2
m ( )
2
, away from q
2

= 0.72 10
5
N, away from q
2
( ) = 0.72 10
5
N ( ) cos 45

i sin45

j
( )


r
F
3 on 1
=
K q
1
q
3
r
2
, toward q
3

=
9.0 10
9
N m
2
/C
2
( ) 110
9
C ( ) 6 10
9
C ( )
5.0 10
2
m ( )
2
, toward q
3

= 2.16 10
5
N, away from q
3
( ) = 2.16 10
5

j N

r
F
4 on 1
=
K q
1
q
4
r
2
, away from q
4

= 0.72 10
5
N ( ) cos 45

i sin45

j
( )
q
1
q
2
q
3
q
4
x
y
Note, you may have noticed that due to the symmetric positioning, and equal sign and magnitudes of charges
of q
2
and q
4
, the x-components of the forces exerted by q
2
and q
4
cancel in which case, we can continue with
only examining the y-components of the forces. Either way:
4. Find the force on a positive point charge q located a distance x from the end of a rod of
length L with uniformly distributed positive charge Q (shown below)

r
F = F = d

F =
1
4
0
qdQ
r
2
y=0
y=L

=
1
4
0
q(Q / L)dy
(x + L y)
2
y=0
y=L

=
qQ
4
0
L
dy
(x + L y)
2
y=0
y=L

=
qQ
4
0
L
1
x + L y
|
|
|
|
|
|
y=0
y=L
=
qQ
4
0
L
1
x

1
x + L
[
\
|

)
j
r
F =
qQ
4
0
L
1
x

1
x + L
[
\
|

)
j
, in direction to the right
or
qQ
4
0
L
x + L
x(x + L)

x
x(x + L)
[
\
|

)
j
=
qQ
4
0
L
L
x(x + L)
, to the right
Insurance check: far away from the rod (x >> L) in the limit, this is
qQ
4
0
x
2
, as expected - the rod "looks" like a point charge from far away.
5.
y |
y=0
|
y=L
y-L
x+(L-y)
|
y
dy
Divide the rod into a series of infinitesimal lengths, dy, each with charge dQ=(Q/L) dy. (Were using
the variable y here because x is the fixed (constant) distance between the charge and the rod)
We see that each infinitesimal length contributes to the net force only the horizontal direction to the
right, so we need to sum up these horizontal components only. The other two components of the force
are zero.
Take the left edge of the rod to be y=0. With this origin, the right edge of the rod is at y=L, and the
charge q is at y=L+x. The distance between the point charge q and each infinitesimal bit of the rod
will therefore be x+(L-y).

r
F
on 1
=
r
F
2 on 1
+
r
F
3 on 1
+
r
F
4 on 1
= 2.16 10
5
N
( )
0.72 10
5
N
( )
2sin45 ( )

j = 1.14 10
5

j N

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