Of the charge Q initially on a tiny sphere, a portion q is to be transferred to a second, nearby sphere. Both spheres can be treated as particles and are fixed with a certain separation. For what value of q/Q will the electrostatic force between the two spheres be maximized?
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Textbook Solutions for Fundamentals of Physics, Volume 2 (Chapters 21 - 44)
Question
Figure 21-42 shows a long, nonconducting, massless rod of length L, pivoted at its center and balanced with a block of weight W at a distance x from the left end. At the left and right ends of the rod are attached small conducting spheres with positive charges q and 2q, respectively. A distance h directly beneath each of these spheres is a fixed sphere with positive charge Q. (a) Find the distance x when the rod is horizontal and balanced. (b) What value should h have so that the rod exerts no vertical force on the bearing when the rod is horizontal and balanced? q+QRodhL x
Solution
The first step in solving 21 problem number 50 trying to solve the problem we have to refer to the textbook question: Figure 21-42 shows a long, nonconducting, massless rod of length L, pivoted at its center and balanced with a block of weight W at a distance x from the left end. At the left and right ends of the rod are attached small conducting spheres with positive charges q and 2q, respectively. A distance h directly beneath each of these spheres is a fixed sphere with positive charge Q. (a) Find the distance x when the rod is horizontal and balanced. (b) What value should h have so that the rod exerts no vertical force on the bearing when the rod is horizontal and balanced? q+QRodhL x
From the textbook chapter Coulombs Law you will find a few key concepts needed to solve this.
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