Question

The Square In Fig. 22-21, what are the (a) horizontal and (b) vertical components of the net electrostatic force on the charged particle in the lower left corner of the square if q = 1.3 10^-7 C and a = 5.2 cm? (Assume the positive directions are upward and to the right.)
1 ___________N (horizontal component)
2 ___________N (vertical component)

PLEASE INCLUDE SPECIFIC DETAILS AND ILLUSTRATIONS TO HELP SOLVING THIS PROBLSO THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONCEPT TOTHIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. TANK YOU

Answer 1

Alright. When I do these problems, I take the absolute value of the charge and go from there.

Let's do a force diagram on the charge in the lower left.

A rough sketch.

Okay, it's experiencing an ATTRACTIVE FORCE towards the negative charge on the right and the charge in the top right.

It's experiencing a REPULSIVE force from the positive charge above it. That's why that force points away rom the top and the other two force lines point towards those charges.

Take the sum of all forces in the x direction.

Both forces point in the positive x direction.

Okay. The first term accounts for the force acting to the right. The second term accounts for the force acting at an angle; the R distance comes from the pythagorean theorem (a right triangle of height a, base a).

Note: there is no sign on the charges. The reason for this is because the force diagram explains the direction that the forces are pointing in.

The angle is 45 degrees because you have arctan(a/a) =arctan(1) = 45.

Now do the y direction. Just look at the force diagram and ignore the signs on the charges.