PHYS004 Spring 2015

HW#1 Problems due Friday January 30, 2015

Chapter 21, Problems 10, 26, 50, 56
10. In the figure below, four particles form a square. The charges are 1 = 4 = and 2 = 3 = .
(a) What is Q/q if the net electrostatic force on particles 1 and 4 is zero? (b) Is there any value of q that
makes the net electrostatic force on each of the four particles zero? Explain.

26. What is the magnitude of the electrostatic force between a singly charged sodium ion ( + ,
of charge +e) and an adjacent singly charged chlorine ion ( , of charge -e) in a salt crystal if their
separation is 2.82 1010 ?

50. Below is shown 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?

56. If a cat repeatedly rubs against your cotton slacks on a dry day, the charge transfer between the cat hair and
the cotton can leave you with an excess charge of 2.00 . (a) How many electrons are transferred
between you and the cat? You will gradually discharge via the floor, but if instead of waiting, you
immediately reach toward a faucet, a painful spark can suddenly appear as your fingers near the faucet. (b)
In that spark, do electrons flow from you to the faucet or vice versa? (c) Just before the spark appears, do
you induce positive or negative charge in the faucet? (d) If, instead, the cat reaches a paw toward the faucet,
which way do electrons flow in the resulting spark? (e) If you stroke a cat with a bare hand on a dry day,
you should take care not to bring your fingers near the cat's nose or you will hurt it with a spark.
Considering that cat hair is an insulator, explain how the spark can appear.
Page 1 of 2

Chapter 22, problems 14, 22, 44, 56, 80

14. As shown below, particle 1 of charge 1 = 5.00 and particle 2 of charge 2 = +2.00 are fixed to an x
axis. (a) As a multiple of distance L, at what coordinate on the axis is the net electric field of the particles
zero? (b) Sketch the net electric field lines between and around the particles.

22. Density, density, density. (a) A charge 300e is uniformly distributed along a circular arc of radius 4.00
cm, which subtends an angle of 40. What is the linear charge density along the arc?
(b) A charge 300e is uniformly distributed over one face of a circular disk of radius 2.00 cm.
What is the surface charge density over that face?
(c) A charge 300e is uniformly distributed over the surface of a sphere of radius 2.00 cm.
What is the surface charge density over that surface?
(d) A charge 300e is uniformly spread through the volume of a sphere of radius 2.00 cm.
What is the volume charge density in that sphere?
44. An alpha particle (the nucleus of a helium atom) has a mass of 6.64 1027 and a
charge of +2e. What are the (a) magnitude and (b) direction of the electric field that will
balance the gravitational force on the particle?
56. An electric dipole consists of charges +2e and -2e separated by 0.78 nm. It is in an electric field of strength
3.4 106 N/C. Calculate the magnitude of the torque on the dipole when the dipole moment is (a) parallel
to, (b) perpendicular to, and (c) antiparallel to the electric field.
80. Calculate the electric dipole moment of an electron and a proton 4.30 nm apart.
Chapter 23, problem 4
4. As shown below, a butterfly net is in a uniform electric field of magnitude = 3.0 mN/C. The rim, a circle
of radius a = 11 cm, is aligned perpendicular to the field. The net contains no net charge. Find the electric
flux through the netting.

Page 2 of 2