Two charges 2.0 × 10–6 C and 1.0 × 10–6 C are placed at a separation of 10 cm. Where should a third charge be placed such that it experiences no net force due to these charges?
Given:
Charges:
Distance between the charge is 10 cm
Let the third charge be q. There are three possible scenarios:
As we can see from the picture, the only possible location for q where net force on q is zero is between the two charges. Let it be x m away from q1, x > 0.
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Formula used:
By Coulomb’s law, the electric force is given by:
Where ϵ0 is the permittivity of free space
k is the electrostatic constant
q1 and q2 are the magnitude of charges
r is the distance of separation between the charges
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Force on q due to q1 is given by:
Force on q due to q2 is given by:
Now,
As x > 0. The correct option is 0.041.
Distance from charge q2 = 0.1 – 0.041 = 0.059 m
Hence, the charge q should be placed 5.9 cm from q2.