ELECTRIC CHARGE, FORCE, AND FIELD

20
EXERCISES
Section 20.1 Electric Charge
14. Nearly all of the mass of an atom is in its nucleus, and about one half of the nuclear mass of the light elements in
living matter (H, O, N, and C) is protons. Thus, the number of protons in a 65 kg average-sized person is
approximately which is also the number of electrons, since an average
person is electrically neutral. If there were a charge imbalance of a person’s net charge
would be about or several coulombs (huge by ordinary standards).
15. INTERPRET This problem deals with quantity of charge in a typical lightning flash. We want to express the
quantity in terms of elementary charge e.
DEVELOP Since the magnitude of elementary charge e is the number of electrons involved is
given by
EVALUATE Substituting the values given in the problem statement, we find the number to be

ASSESS Since 1 coulomb is about elementary charges, our result has the right order of magnitude.
16. (a) The proton’s charge is corresponding to a combination of uud quarks; (b) for neutrons,
corresponds to udd. (See Chapter 39, or Chapter 45 in the extended version of the text.)
Section 20.2 Coulomb’s Law
17. INTERPRET In this problem we are asked to compare the gravitational and electrical forces between a proton and
an electron.
DEVELOP The gravitational force and the electrostatic force between a proton and an electron separated by a
distance r are, respectively,

and

EVALUATE The ratio of the two forces is

Note that the spatial dependence of both forces is the same, and cancels out.
ASSESS At all distances (for which the particles can be regarded as classical point charges), the Coulomb force is
about times stronger than the gravitational force.

20.1
20.2 Chapter 20

18. pm is called the Bohr radius. For a proton and electron separated by a Bohr radius,

19. INTERPRET This problem is about comparing the gravitational and electrical forces.
DEVELOP The electric force between a proton and an electron has magnitude while the weight of
an electron is
EVALUATE When the two forces are equal, the distance between the proton and the electron is

ASSESS The distance is almost fifty billion atomic diameters (or angstroms). This demonstrates that gravity is
unimportant on the molecular scale.
20. The mass could be suspended at the Earth’s surface if the electric force were repulsive (q same sign as qE) and
Thus,

21. INTERPRET This problem is about finding the unit vector associated with the electrical force one charge exerts
on the other.
DEVELOP A unit vector from the position of charge q, to any other point is

EVALUATE (a) When the other charge is at position the unit vector is

(b) When
(c) Finally, when the unit vector is

The sign of q doesn’t affect this unit vector, but the signs of both charges do determine whether the force exerted
by q is repulsive or attractive, i.e., in the direction of or
ASSESS The unit vector always points away from the charge q located at
22. The magnitude of the force is

and its direction is from the proton (at to the electron (at for an attractive force,
at an angle to the x axis.
Section 20.3 The Electric Field
23. INTERPRET This problem is about calculating the electric field strength due to a source, when the force
experienced by the electron is known.
DEVELOP Equation 20.2a shows that the electric field strength (magnitude of the field) at a point is equal to the
force per unit charge that would be experienced by a charge at that point:

EVALUATE With we find the field strength to be

 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.3

ASSESS Since the charge of electron is negative, the force experienced by the electron is in the opposite direction
of the electric field.
24. From Equation 20.2b,
25. INTERPRET This problem is about calculating the electric field strength due to a source, when the force
experienced by a charge is known.
DEVELOP Equation 20.2a shows that the electric field strength (magnitude of the field) at a point is equal to the
force per unit charge that would be experienced by a charge at that point:

The equation allows us to calculate E. For part (b), the force experienced by another charge in the same field is

EVALUATE (a) With we find the field strength to be

(b) The force experienced by another charge, in the same field is

ASSESS The force a test charge particle experiences is proportional to the magnitude of the test charge. In our
problem, since we find

26. The electric field is The force on a proton is

27. INTERPRET This problem is about the electric field strength due to a point source charge—the proton.
DEVELOP The electric field strength at a distance r from a point source charge q is given by Equation 20.3:

The proton in a hydrogen atom behaves like a point charge.

EVALUATE At a distance of one Bohr radius (a0 = 0.0529 nm) away, the electric field strength is

ASSESS The field strength at the position of the electron is enormous because of the close proximity.
Section 20.4 Fields of Charge Distributions

28. Take the origin of x-y coordinates at the midpoint, as indicated, and use Equation 20.4. Let denote
the positions of the charges, and that of the field point. A unit vector from one charge to the field point is
so the spacial factors in Coulomb’s law are (a) For
and Then

(b) For

(c) For
20.4 Chapter 20

29. INTERPRET Given the magnitude of the dipole moment, we are asked to calculate the distance between the pair
of opposite charges that make up the dipole.
DEVELOP As shown in Equation 20.5, the electric dipole moment p is the product of the charge q and the
separation d between the two charges making up the dipole:

EVALUATE Using the equation above, the distance separating the charges of a dipole is

ASSESS The distance d has the same order of magnitude as the Bohr radius
30. For a very long wire Example 20.7 shows that the magnitude of the radial electric field falls off like
Therefore, or
31. INTERPRET In this problem we are asked about the line charge density, given the field strength at a distance from
the wire.
DEVELOP If the electric field points radially toward the long wire the charge on the wire must be
negative. The magnitude of the field is given by the result of Example 20.7,
EVALUATE Using the equation above, we find the line charge density to be

ASSESS The electric field strength due to a line charge density decreases as This can be compared to the
dependence due to a point charge.
32. INTERPRET We use Coulomb’s law and the definition of electric field to find the electric field at a point on the
axis of a charged ring.
DEVELOP From Example 20.6, which is done for a general distance x, we see that We want to
know the field E at position
EVALUATE

ASSESS The units are which are correct for electric field.
Section 20.5 Matter in Electric Fields
33. INTERPRET This problem is about the Millikan oil drop experiment. Two forces are involved, gravitational and
electrical.
DEVELOP In equilibrium, the gravitational and electrostatic forces cancel: or The equation can be
used to compute the mass m.
EVALUATE Using the equation above, we find the mass to be
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.5

ASSESS Because this mass is so small, the size of such a drop may be better appreciated in terms of its radius,
Millikan used oil of density so for this drop.
34. For uniform acceleration, electrons, starting from rest, reach speed traversing a region of length
x. Therefore, or

35. INTERPRET This problem is about the motion of a proton, a charged particle, in an electric field that points to the left.
DEVELOP Choose the x axis to the right, in the direction of the proton, so that the electric field is negative to the
left. If the Coulomb force on the proton is the only important one, the acceleration is

The negative sign means that the proton decelerates as it enters the electric field. The motion is one-dimensional
kinematics.
EVALUATE (a) Using Equation 2.11, with and we find the maximum penetration into
the field region to be

(b) The proton subsequently moves to the left, with the same constant acceleration in the field region, until it exits
with the initial velocity reversed.
ASSESS The deceleration of the proton increases with the field strength E. In addition, when E is large, the
penetration is small, and the proton reverses its path rather quickly.
36. From the analysis in Example 20.8,

PROBLEMS
37. INTERPRET The problem asks for an estimate of the fraction of electrons removed from rubbing.
DEVELOP Suppose that half the ball’s mass is protons (the other half comes from neutrons). Their number is
This is equal to the original number of electrons,
EVALUATE The number of electrons removed is so the fraction removed is

ASSESS The fraction is about a hundred billionth. Thus, only a very small amount of electrons has been removed
by rubbing.
38. The product of the charges is If one
charge is twice the other, then and
39. INTERPRET In solving this problem we follow Problem Solving Strategy 20.1 and identify the source charges as
the proton and the electron.
DEVELOP The unit vector from the proton’s position to the origin is Using Equation 20.1, the Coulomb force
of the proton on the helium nucleus is

Similarly, the unit vector from the electron’s position to the origin is so its force on the helium nucleus is
20.6 Chapter 20

EVALUATE The net Coulomb force on the helium nucleus is the sum of these:

ASSESS In situations where there are more than one source charge, we apply the superposition principle and add
the electric forces vectorially. In the above, since the electron is closer to the He nucleus than the proton (
), we expect

40. Denote the positions of the charges by for and for

The vector from q1 to q2 is and a unit vector in this direction is
The vector form of Coulomb’s law for the electric force of q1 on q2 is (This gives the
Coulomb force between two point charges, as a function of their positions, and is a convenient form to memorize
because of its direct applicability.) Substituting the given values for this problem, we find:

with magnitude 16.0 N and direction to the x axis (negative angle measured CW).
41. INTERPRET Coulomb’s law applies here. Since more than one source charge is involved, we make use of the
superposition principle.
DEVELOP For the force on a third charge Q to be zero, it must be placed on the x axis to the right of the (smaller)
negative charge, i.e., at The net Coulomb force on a third charge so placed is

We set to solve for x.

EVALUATE The condition implies that or Thus,

Only the solution is to the right of

ASSESS At the forces acting on Q from 3q and 2q exactly cancel each other. Notice that our
result is independent of the sign and magnitude of the third charge Q.
42. By symmetry, the negative charge must be at the midpoint between the two positive charges (the force on it is zero
there) such that its attractive force on one positive charge cancels the repulsive force of the other. Thus,

which holds for any a. The equilibrium is unstable, since if is displaced slightly toward one charge, the net
force on it will be in the direction of that charge.

43. INTERPRET More than one source charge is involved in this problem. Therefore, we use Coulomb’s law and
apply the superposition principle to find the force on q3.
DEVELOP We denote the positions of the charges by and The unit
vector pointing from q1 toward q3 is
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.7

Similarly, the unit vector pointing from q2 toward q3 is The vector form of Coulomb’s law and the
superposition principle give the net electric force on q3 as:

EVALUATE Substituting the values given in the problem statement, we find the force acting on q3 to be

or at an angle of to the x axis.

ASSESS The force between q1 and q3 is repulsive ( ) while the force between q2 and q3 is attractive (
). The two forces add vectorially to give the net force on q3.
44. The positions of the charges are the same as in the Problem 43, so the net force on q1 is

(a) If then or (b) Then

45. INTERPRET Since more than one source charge is involved, we use Coulomb’s law and apply the superposition
principle to find the force on Q.
DEVELOP The magnitudes of the forces on Q from each of the four charges are equal to

To determine the net force and its direction, we note that the forces from the two positive charges on the same
diagonal are in opposite directions, and cancel, while the forces from the positive and negative charges on the other
diagonal are in the same direction (depending on the sign of Q) and add.
EVALUATE (a) The net force on Q has magnitude

(b) The direction of is toward the negative charge for and away from the negative charge for
ASSESS Even though we have four charges acting on charge Q, only two need to be considered. By the
superposition principle, the force on a charge placed midway between two identical charges must add to zero.

46. The electric field from a point charge at the origin is since (a) For and
(b) At
(The field strength is at
20.8 Chapter 20

45 to the x axis.) (c) When

47. INTERPRET Coulomb’s law applies here. Since more than one source charge is involved, we use the
superposition principle to find the point where the field strength vanishes.
DEVELOP We first note that the field can be zero only along the line joining the charges (the x axis). To the left
or right of both charges, the fields due to each are in the same direction, and cannot add to zero. Between the two, a
distance from the charge, the electric field is

EVALUATE With and the field vanishes when or

ASSESS Since at a charge placed at that point does not experience any force.

48. The proton, charge e, is at and the ion, charge q, is at The field at point is given by
Equation 20.4, with spacial factors written as in the solutions to Problem 15 or Exercise 28:

Therefore, implies or (Note how we used the general expression for the electric
field, at position due to a distribution of static point charges at positions
49. INTERPRET Coulomb’s law applies here. With two source charges, we use the superposition principle to find the
field strength at a point on the y axis.
DEVELOP As in Example 20.2, we apply the symmetry argument to show that the x components of the electric
field due to both charges cancel, and the net electric field points in the +y direction.
EVALUATE (a) Since electric field is the force per unit charge, from Example 20.2, we obtain

(b) The magnitude of the field, a positive function, is zero for and hence it has a maximum in
between. Setting the derivative equal to zero, we find

or Thus, the field strength maxima are at

ASSESS By symmetry, we expect the directions of the electric field at to be opposite.

50. We can use the result of Example 20.5, with y replaced by x, and x by (or equivalently, and
Then where and (Look at Figure 20.12 rotated 90
CW.) The constant (a) At
(b) For

(c) At
51. INTERPRET We find the electric field on the axis of a dipole, and show that Equation 20.6b is correct. To do this
we will use the equation for electric field.
DEVELOP The spacing between the + and – charges is 2a. We will use for each charge to find the total
field at a point
EVALUATE
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.9

For so But so
ASSESS We have shown what was required.
52. Taking the hint, we suppose that the field strength varies with a power of the distance, Then
or A dipole field falls off like hence the net charge is
zero.
53. INTERPRET Coulomb’s law applies here. With three source charges, we use the superposition principle to find
the field strength at a point on the y axis.
DEVELOP The electric field on the y axis due to the two charges on the x axis follows from
Example 20.2:

On the other hand, using Equation 20.3, we find the electric field due to the charge on the y axis to be

EVALUATE (a) For the total field is simply the sum of both terms:

(b) For the electric field may be approximated as

The field is like that due to a point charge of magnitude 3q.

ASSESS At large distance, the charge distribution looks like a point charge located at the origin.

54. The charges initially attract, so q1 and q2 have opposite signs, and When the spheres are
brought together, they share the total charge equally, each acquiring The magnitude of their repulsion is
Equating these two forces, we find a quadratic equation or
with solutions Both solutions are possible, but since
they merely represent a relabeling of the charges. Since the
solutions are and or the same values
with q1 and q2 interchanged.
20.10 Chapter 20

55. INTERPRET Two forces are involved in this problem: Coulomb force and spring force. The spring is stretched
due to Coulomb repulsion.
DEVELOP Suppose that the Coulomb repulsion is the only force stretching the spring. When balanced with the
spring force, or

where is the equilibrium length. This cubic equation can be solved by iteration or by Newton’s method.
EVALUATE Substituting the values given in the problem statement gives

Newton’s method yields

ASSESS Our result makes sense since the amount stretched is seen to decrease with increasing spring constant
and increase with the magnitude of the charge q.
56. INTERPRET We show that the electric field magnitude a distance x from either end of a uniformly charged rod of
charge Q and length L is as shown. We will use the integral form for electric field, Equation 20.7.
DEVELOP For simplicity, we will align our coordinate axis with the right end of the rod, and integrate from –L to 0.
In this case, x will be not only the x coordinate, but it will be the distance from one end of the rod as well. We will
find the field at x using
EVALUATE The infinitesimal charge is the charge per length times the infinitesimal length: We
substitute this into the equation for electric field:

ASSESS We have found the field a distance x from one end of the rod. By symmetry, the field at the other end
must be the same.
57. INTERPRET The electron undergoes circular motion, and the centripetal force is provided by the Coulomb force.
DEVELOP The electric field of the wire is radial and falls off like see Example 20.7). For an
attractive force (negative electron encircling a positively charged wire), this is the same dependence as the
centripetal acceleration. For circular motion around the wire, the Coulomb force provides the electron’s centripetal
acceleration:

The equation can be used to deduce the speed of the electron.

EVALUATE Substituting the values given, we find the speed to be

ASSESS We find the speed of the electron to be independent of r, the radial distance from the long wire. This is
because both the electric field and the centripetal acceleration fall off as hence, the r dependence cancels out.
58. When the device is in operation, an isotope, of nuclear charge q and mass m, is accelerated from rest to a speed v,
in a distance d, by the field E1, where This will be the proper speed to pass through the
analyzer if or This condition depends on the fields and the
geometry, but not on so different isotopes cannot be separated. (Essentially, the device compares two
accelerations, both of which are proportional to
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.11

59. INTERPRET The charge undergoes circular motion, and the centripetal force is provided by the Coulomb force.
We are asked to find the line charge density, given the particle’s speed.
DEVELOP The electric field of the wire is radial and falls off like see Example 20.7). For an
attractive force (positive charge encircling a negatively charged wire), this is the same dependence as the
centripetal acceleration. For circular motion around the wire, the Coulomb force provides the centripetal
acceleration:

The equation can be used to deduce the line charge density, once the speed is known.
EVALUATE The above equation gives

ASSESS For the force to be attractive, we require the line charge density to be negative.

60. (a) The torque on an electric dipole in an external electric field is given by Equation 20.9;
(b) The work done against just the electric force is equal to the
change in the dipole’s potential energy (Equation 20.10);

61. INTERPRET This problem is about an electric dipole placed in an external electric field.
DEVELOP Using Equation 20.10, the energy required to reverse the orientation of such a dipole is
EVALUATE Using the equation above, the electric dipole moment is

ASSESS An electric dipole tends to align itself in the direction of the external electric field. Thus, energy is
required to change its orientation.

62. All the forces are along the same line, so take the origin at the center of the left-hand dipole and the positive x axis in
the direction of the right-hand dipole in Figure 20.29. The right-hand dipole has charges at at
each of which experiences a force from both charges of the left-hand dipole, which are at and at
(There are forces between four pairs of changes.) The Coulomb force on a charge in the right-hand dipole, due to one
in the left-hand one, is (see solution to Problem 15), so the total force on the right-hand
dipole is

(a) In the limit where is the dipole moment of

both dipoles. (b) The force on the right-hand dipole is in the negative x direction, indicating an attractive force.

63. INTERPRET This problem is about the interaction between a dipole and the electric field due to a source charge.
DEVELOP With the x axis in the direction from Q to and the y axis parallel to the dipole in Figure 20.30,
we have and In the limit the torque on the dipole is given by Equation 20.9,
where is the field from the point charge Q, at the position of the dipole.
EVALUATE (a) Using Equation 20.9, we find the torque to be
20.12 Chapter 20

The direction is into the page, or clockwise, to align with

(b) The Coulomb force obeys Newton’s third law. The field of the dipole at the position of Q is (Example 20.5
adapted to new axes)

Thus, the force on Q due to the dipole is

The force on the dipole due to Q is the opposite of this:

The magnitude of is
(c) The direction of is in or parallel to the dipole moment.

ASSESS The net force will cause the dipole to move in the In addition, there is a torque that
tends to align with So, the motion of the dipole involves both translation and rotation.

64. The electron’s field is directed toward the electron (a negative charge) and the ion’s field is directed away from the
ion (a positive charge). Therefore, the fields can cancel only at points on the negative x axis since the
directions are opposite there and the smaller charge is closer. The field from one point charge is
where for the electron, and for the ion. The total field is
zero when (See note to solution of Problem 48.) Since
and so this implies or
The negative solution to this quadratic is

65. INTERPRET This problem is about the electric field due to a charged ring.
DEVELOP The electric field on the axis of a uniformly charged ring of radius a is calculated in Example 20.6:

Knowing the field strengths at two different values of x allows us to deduce a and Q.
EVALUATE The data given in the question imply

Dividing these two equations and taking the root, we get

 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.13

which when solved for the radius, gives

To calculate Q, we substitute for a in either one of the field equations. This leads to

ASSESS To check that our results are correct, we may substitute the values obtained for a and Q into the field
equation to calculate and at and Note that the field strength decreases as x is increased.
66. (a) The electric field, from the three point charges shown, at points on the x axis with is:

(b) For (The quadrupole moment of this “linear quadrupole” is

67. INTERPRET This problem is about the electric field due to a 10-m long straight wire, which is our source charge.
DEVELOP For a uniformly charged wire of length and charge Q, the line density is Under the
assumption that the wire is approximately infinitely long, the electric field due to the line charge can be written as
(see Example 20.7):

EVALUATE (a) The charge density is

(b) Since and the field point is far from either end, we may regard the wire as approximately
infinite. Then Example 20.7 gives

(c) At the wire behaves approximately like a point charge, so the

field strength is

ASSESS The finite-size, line charge distribution looks like a point charge at large distances.

68. (a) (b) The x components of the fields from symmetrically placed elements of charge, at
cancel, so the net field is along the y axis (see Fig. 20.16). (c) Proceed exactly as in Example 20.7, except that the
limits of integration are from Thus,

(d) For we can neglect L in the square root, so we obtain as for a point charge.
(Of course, for the result of Example 20.7 is recaptured.)
69. INTERPRET In this problem we want to find the electric field due to a uniformly charged disk of radius R.
DEVELOP We take the disk to be consisted of a large number of annuli. With uniform surface charge density
the amount of charge on an area element is Our strategy is to first calculate the electric field due
to at a field point on the axis, simplify with symmetry argument, and then integrate over the entire disk to get
E.
20.14 Chapter 20

EVALUATE (a) The area of an annulus of radii is just For a thin ring, and
so the area is When dr is very small, the square term is negligible, and
(This is equal to the circumference of the ring times its thickness.) (b) For surface charge density
(c) From Example 20.6, the electric field due to a ring of radius r and charge dq is

which holds for x positive away from the ring’s center. (d) Integrating from to R, one finds

For and the field is

On the other hand, for the electric field is

This is consistent with symmetry on the axis, since

ASSESS One may readily verify that (see Problem 71), for In other words, the finite-size charge
distribution looks like a point charge at large distances.

70. An infinite flat sheet is the same as an infinite flat disk (as long as the dimensions are infinite in all directions, the
shape is irrelevant). Thus, we can find the magnitude of the electric field from a uniformly changed infinite flat
sheet by letting in the result of Problem 69. Then, the limit of the second term is zero, and the magnitude is
constant, (The direction is perpendicularly away from (towards) the sheet for positive (negative)
71. INTERPRET In this problem we want to show that at large distances, the electric field due to a uniformly charged
disk of radius R reduces to that of a point charge.
DEVELOP The result of Problem 69 for the field on the axis of a uniformly charged disk, of radius R, at a
distance along the axis (away from the disk’s center) is

For we use the binomial expansion in Appendix A and write

EVALUATE Substituting the above expression into the first equation, we obtain

which is the field from a point charge at a distance x.

ASSESS The result once again demonstrates that any finite-size charge distribution looks like a point charge at
large distances.

72. Begin by establishing a coordinate system with origin at point P, vertical y axis, and horizontal x axis. Then each
charge element dq creates an electric field of magnitude in the direction The total
electric field at P is then The loop has a uniform charge Q along its length of so its linear charge
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.15

density is and we can write Expressing the line element as we have We

can now formulate the integral for the total electric field in terms of starting with

73. INTERPRET We find the position of the charge Q in Example 20.2 for which the force is a maximum. At large
distances, the force will be small because of the inverse-square nature of the force. At close distances, the net force
will be small because the forces from the two charges tend to cancel. Somewhere between near and far will be a
maximum. The equation for force is found in the example, so we will differentiate to find the value of y where
force is a maximum.
DEVELOP We are given the equation for force: We find the value of y at which this force is

a maximum by setting
EVALUATE

ASSESS This is a bit less than one and a half times the distance from the center to one charge.
74. INTERPRET We find the electric field at any point (x,y) due to a uniformly charged rod of length L and charge Q.
We will check our answer by showing that the result matches the special cases of Problem 68 and Problem 56.
This is an electric field problem, which we will solve by direct integration.
DEVELOP We will find the field at point and for the integration variable we’ll use The infinitesimal
charge is the charge per length times the length so The distance from each bit of charge to

the point (x,y) is The unit vector in the direction of is We will find the

electric field by integrating

EVALUATE
(a)

When the electric field in part (a) reduces to

20.16 Chapter 20

(b) When the electric field reduces to

ASSESS The electric field in part (a) is not simple, but we have shown that for some simple cases it reduces to
simpler forms.
75. INTERPRET We find the electric field near a line of non-uniform charge density. This is an electric field
calculation, and we will integrate to find the field.
DEVELOP The rod has charge and extends from to We want to find the electric field at
We will use with and
EVALUATE

ASSESS Since is charge per length, the units are correct.

76. INTERPRET We find the electric field at points along the axis of a rod carrying non-uniform charge density. This
is an electric field calculation, and we will integrate to find the field. We will also show that at large distances the
field looks like that of a dipole, and we’ll find the dipole moment.
DEVELOP The rod has charge and extends from to We want to find the electric field
at some point We will use with and
EVALUATE
(a)

(b) At
 Electric Charge, Force, and Field 20.17

We compare this with the field of a dipole in the same orientation, and see that the dipole moment of this
charged rod is
ASSESS We have shown what was required.
77. INTERPRET We estimate the electrostatic force between two people if the charge on the electron differed from
the charge on the proton by one part in a billion. We use Coulomb’s law.
DEVELOP We will assume that about half a person’s mass consists of protons and the rest consists of neutrons.
We will also assume that the number of electrons is equal to the number of protons, so the person’s net charge is
just one billionth of his total proton charge. One proton has a mass and the charge on a
proton is The magnitude of the force between two charges is
EVALUATE The number of protons in a 65-kg person is about

We multiply this by the charge of a proton, and then divide by a billion to find the charge on a person:
The force becomes which does not qualify as “negligible.”
ASSESS This is a repulsive force nearly equal to the weight of a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
78. INTERPRET We find the minimum speed necessary for a droplet to traverse the region between two plates
without touching the plates. We solve this by finding the force on the droplet due to the electric field, then finding
the acceleration.
DEVELOP The force on the charge is The acceleration is then We can use this, and the
constant-acceleration equations, to find the time it would take the droplet to reach the plates, assuming that the
droplet starts in the middle of the gap. The minimum speed is such that it travels a distance L in this time.
EVALUATE First we find the time:

The speed is

ASSESS Actually, the speed should be a bit higher than this because the drop has a non-zero diameter.
79. INTERPRET We are asked to find the electric field necessary to levitate small charged objects. We will assume
that the only forces acting on the beads are the force of gravity and the electric force.
DEVELOP To levitate the beads, we must arrange so that the force on the beads due to the field is equal to the
force due to gravity The mass is and the charge is
20.18 Chapter 20

EVALUATE The field should be upwards, so that the positively charged beads feel a
force opposite the direction of gravity.
ASSESS One complication to this plan is trying to keep the beads from accelerating sideways! It is very difficult
to actually make a large-scale uniform field as described here.
80. INTERPRET We find the electric field at the end of a rod with a non-uniform charge density. This is an electric
field calculation, and we will integrate to find the field.
DEVELOP The rod has charge and extends from to We want to find the electric
field at We will use with and
EVALUATE

ASSESS Since is charge per length, the units are correct.