Chapter 18: Q56PE (page 666)
What can you say about two charges \({q_1}\) and \({q_2}\), if the electric field one-fourth of the way from \({q_1}\) to \({q_2}\) is zero?
Short Answer
The charge \({q_2}\) is \(9\) times larger than \({q_1}\).
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Chapter 18: Q56PE (page 666)
What can you say about two charges \({q_1}\) and \({q_2}\), if the electric field one-fourth of the way from \({q_1}\) to \({q_2}\) is zero?
The charge \({q_2}\) is \(9\) times larger than \({q_1}\).
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(a) Using the symmetry of the arrangement, show that the electric field at the center of the square in Figure 18.46 is zero if the charges on the four corners are exactly equal. (b) Show that this is also true for any combination of charges in which \({q_a} = {q_b}\) and \({q_b} = {q_c}\).

Why does a car always attract dust right after it is polished? (Note that car wax and car tires are insulators.)
Suppose a speck of dust in an electrostatic precipitator has protons in it and has a net charge of -5.00 nC (a very large charge for a small speck). How many electrons does it have?
Figure 18.57 shows an electron passing between two charged metal plates that create an\(100{\rm{ N}}/{\rm{C}}\)vertical electric field perpendicular to the electron’s original horizontal velocity. (These can be used to change the electron’s direction, such as in an oscilloscope.) The initial speed of the electron is\(3.00 \times {10^6}{\rm{ m}}/{\rm{s}}\), and the horizontal distance it travels in the uniform field is\(4.00{\rm{ cm}}\). (a) What is its vertical deflection? (b) What is the vertical component of its final velocity? (c) At what angle does it exit? Neglect any edge effects.

The discussion of the electric field between two parallel conducting plates, in this module states that edge effects are less important if the plates are close together. What does close mean? That is, is the actual plate separation crucial, or is the ratio of plate separation to plate area crucial?
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