PHYSICS 2421 HW#1

University Physics, Young and Freedman, 13th Edition, End of Chapter Exercises
21.2
21.6
21.15
21.28
21.30
21.54
21.58
21.2 Lightning occurs when there is a flow of electric charge (principally electrons) between the
ground and a thundercloud. The maximum rate of charge flow in a lightning bolt is
about 20,000C/s; this lasts for 100s or less. How much charge flows between the ground and
the cloud in this time? How many electrons flow during this time?
IDENTIFY: The charge that flows is the rate of charge flow times the duration of the time
interval.
SET UP: The charge of one electron has magnitude e 160 1019 C
EXECUTE: The rate of charge flow is 20,000 C/s and t 100s 100 104 s
Q (20,000 C/s)(100 104 s) 200 C

The number of electrons is

ne

Q
160 10

19

125 1019

EVALUATE: This is a very large amount of charge and a large number of electrons.
21.6 Two small spheres spaced 20.0 (cm) apart have equal charge. (a) How many excess
electrons must be present on each sphere if the magnitude of the force of repulsion between them
is 4.57 * 10^-21 N?
IDENTIFY: Apply Coulombs law and calculate the net charge q on each sphere.
SET UP: The magnitude of the charge of an electron is e 160 1019 C.
F

EXECUTE:

1 q2

4e0 r 2

This gives

q 4 e0 Fr 4 e0 (4.57 1021 N)(0.200 m)2 1.43 1016 C.

2

And therefore, the total

16

number of electrons required is n q /e (1.43 10 C)/(1.60 1019 C/electron) 890 electrons.

EVALUATE: Each sphere has 890 excess electrons and each sphere has a net negative
charge. The two like charges repel.
21.15 Three point charges are arranged on a line. Charge q_3 = +5.00nC and is at the origin.
Charge q_2 = -3.00 nC and is at x_2=+4.00 cm. Charge q_1 is at x_1 = +2.00 cm. (a) What is
q_1 (magnitude and sign) if the net force on q_3 is zero?

IDENTIFY: Apply Coulombs law. The two forces on q3 must have equal magnitudes and opposite
directions.
SET UP: Like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
EXECUTE: The force

F2 that q2 exerts

on

q3 has

magnitude

F2 k

q2q3

x-

r22

direction.
F1

must be in the x-direction, so

q1 must

be positive.

F1 F2 gives k

q1 q3
r12

q2 q3
r22

2
r
200 cm
q1 q2 1 300 nC
0750 nC.
400 cm
r2
EVALUATE: The result for the magnitude

of

q1 doesnt

depend on the magnitude of

q2 .

21.28 An electron is released from rest in a uniform electric field. The electron accelerates
vertically upward, traveling 4.50m in the first 3.00s after it is released. (a) What are the
magnitude and direction of the electric field? (b) Are we justified in ignoring the effects of
gravity? Justify your answer quantitatively.

IDENTIFY: Use constant acceleration equations to calculate the upward acceleration a and then
apply F qE to calculate the electric field.
SET UP:
y be upward. An electron has charge q e.
EXECUTE: (a) v0 y 0 and a y a, so y y0 v0 yt 12 a yt 2 gives y y0 12 at 2 . Then
a
E

2( y y0 )
t

2(450 m)
(300 10

s)

100 1012 m/s2 .

31

F ma (911 10 kg)(100 1012 m/s 2 )

569 N/C
q
q
160 1019 C

The force is up, so the electric field must be downward since the electron has negative
charge.
(b) The electrons acceleration is ~ 1011 g , so gravity must be negligibly small compared to
the electrical force.
EVALUATE: Since the electric field is uniform, the force it exerts is constant and the
electron moves with constant acceleration.
21.30 A point charge is placed at each corner of a square with side length a. The charges all have
the same magnitudeq. Two of the charges are positive and two are negative, as shown in the
following figure. (Figure 1) What is the direction of the net electric field at the center of the
square? What is the magnitude of the net electric field at the center of the square due to the four
charges in terms of q and a?

IDENTIFY: The net electric field is the vector sum of the individual fields.
SET UP: The distance from a corner to the center of the square is
r (a/2)2 (a/2)2 a/ 2 . The magnitude of the electric field due to each charge is the
same and equal to Eq

kq
r2

kq
a2

. All four

y-components add and the x-components cancel.

EXECUTE: Each y-component is equal to
resultant field is

4 2kq
a2

Eqy Eq cos 45

Eq
2

2kq
2a

2kq
a2

The

, in the y-direction.

EVALUATE: We must add the y-components of the fields, not their magnitudes.
21.54 A straight, nonconducting plastic wire 9.50 cmlong carries a charge density of
125 nC/mdistributed uniformly along its length. It is lying on a horizontal tabletop. Find the
magnitude and direction of the electric field this wire produces at a point 6.00 cm directly above
its midpoint. If the wire is now bent into a circle lying flat on the table, find the magnitude and
direction of the electric field it produces at a point 6.00 cm directly above its center.
(a) IDENTIFY: The field is caused by a finite uniformly charged wire.
SET UP: The field for such a wire a distance x from its midpoint is
E

EXECUTE:

1
1

.
2

2
2 e0 x ( x/a)2 1
4

e
0 x ( x/a) 1

(180 109 N m 2 /C2 )(175 109 C/m)

2

600 cm
(00600 m)
1
425 cm

3.03 104 N/C,

directed upward.

(b) IDENTIFY: The field is caused by a uniformly charged circular wire.

SET UP: The field for such a wire a distance x from its midpoint is
We first find the radius of the circle using 2 r l.

1
Qx
4e0 ( x 2 a 2 )3/2

EXECUTE: Solving for r gives r l/2 (8.50 cm)/2 1.353 cm.

The charge on this circle is Q l (175 nC/m)(0.0850 m) 14.88 nC.
The electric field is
E

1
Qx
(900 109 N m2 /C2 )(1488 102 9 C/m)(00600 m)

2
2
3/2
3/2
4 e0 ( x a )
(00600 m)2 (001353 m)2

E = 3.45 104 N/C,

upward.
EVALUATE: In both cases, the fields are of the same order of magnitude, but the values
are different because the charge has been bent into different shapes.
21.58 The dipole moment of the water molecule (H2O)is 6.171030Cm. Consider a water
molecule located at the origin whose dipole moment p points in the +x-direction. A chlorine
ion(Cl), of charge 1.601019C, is located atx=3.00109m. Assume that x is much larger
than the separation d between the charges in the dipole, so that the approximate expression for
the electric field along the dipole axis can be used. Find the magnitude of the electric force that
the water molecule exerts on the chlorine ion. What is the direction of the electric force. Is this
force attractive or repulsive? Assume that x is much larger than the separation d between the
charges in the dipole, so that the approximate expression for the electric field along the dipole
axis derived in Example 21.14 can be used.
IDENTIFY: Calculate the electric field due to the dipole and then apply
SET UP: From Example 21.14,
Edipole

EXECUTE:
19

F qE (160 10

Edipole ( x)

617 1030 C m
2e0 (30 109 m)3

2e0 x3

411 106 N/C.

13

C)(41110 N/C) 658 10

6

F qE.

The electric force is

N and is toward the water molecule

(negative
x-direction).
E

EVALUATE: dipole is in the direction of p,

ion is negative, so F is directed opposite to

x-direction. The charge q of the

E and is therefore in the x-direction.