Question

Positive Charge Q is distributed uniformly along the x-axis from x=0 to x=a. A positive point charge q is located on the positive x-axis at point x-atr, a distance r to the right from the end of Q. (a) Using integral calculus, calculate the elect field produced by the charge distribution all points x > a. (b) What is the force on the small charge q (c) If/>>a, what is the force on q?

Answer 1

Answer:

 electric field E = - k Q (1 /r(r-a)), force    F = - k Q qo / r (r-a) and force for r>>a    F ≈ - k Q qo / r²

Explanation:

You are asked to find the electric field of a continuous charge distribution, so we must use the equation

       

           E = k ∫dp /r²

Where k is the Coulomb constant that is worth 8.99 10⁹ N m² / C², r is the distance between the load distribution and the test charge, in this case everything is on the X axis.

We must find the charge differential (dq), let's use that uniformly distributed and create a linear charge density

          λ = q / x

As it is constant, we can write it based on differentials

         λ = dq / dx

         dq = λ dx

We already have all the terms, let's  integrate enter its limits, lower the distance from the left end of the distribution to the test charge (x = r) and the upper limit that is the distance from the left end of distribution to the test load ( x = r - a) where r> a

         E = k ∫ λ dx / x²

         E = k la (- 1 / x)

Let's get the negative sign from the parentheses

         E = - k λ (1 / x)

         E = - k λ (1 /(r-a)  -1 /r) = - k λ [a / r (r-a)]

Let's change the charge density with the value of the total charge λ = Q / a

         E = - k Q/a  [a / r (r-a)]

         E = - k Q (1 /r(r-a))

b) We calculate the force.  

         F = E qo

         F = - k Q qo / r (r-a)

c) the force for charge porbe very far r >> a. In this case we can take r from the parentheses and neglect (a/r)

         F = - k Qqo / r² (1 -  a/r)

         F ≈ - k Q qo / r²