If your solution to stated problem does not match the given solution, you should self-critique per instructions at http://vhcc2.vhcc.edu/dsmith/geninfo/labrynth_created_fall_05/levl1_22/levl2_81/file3_259.htm.

 

Your solution, attempt at solution. If you are unable to attempt a solution, give a phrase-by-phrase interpretation of the problem along with a statement of what you do or do not understand about it. This response should be given, based on the work you did in completing the assignment, before you look at the given solution.

 

 

023.

 

Question: `qIn your own words explain how the introductory experience with scotch tape illustrates the existence of two types of charge.

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Question: `qIn your own words explain how the introductory experience with scotch tape supports the idea that the force between two charged particles acts along a straight line through those particles, either attracting the forces along this line or repelling along this line.

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Question: `qIn your own words explain why this experience doesn't really prove anything about actual point charges, since neither piece of tape is confined to a point.

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Question: `qIf one piece of tape is centered at point A and the other at point B, then let AB_v stand for the vector whose initial point is A and whose terminal point is B, and let AB_u stand for a vector of magnitude 1 whose direction is the same as that of AB_u.

 

Let BA_v and BA_u stand for the analogous vectors from B to A.

 

Vectors of length 1 are called unit vectors.

 

 

Explain.

 

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Given Solution: 

 

If the pieces attract, then the tape at point A is pulled toward point B. 

If the pieces repel, then the tape at point B is pushed away from point A. 

 

Self-critique (if necessary):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-critique Rating:

 

 

Question: `qUsing the notation of the preceding question, which you should have noted on paper (keep brief running notes as you do qa's and queries so you can answer 'followup questions' like this), how does the magnitude of the vector AB_v depend on the magnitude of BA_v, and how does the magnitude of each vector compare with the distance between A and B?

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Given Solution:

 

The distance from A to B is the same as the distance from B to A.  So the vectors AB_v and BA_v have the same length.

 

Each vector therefore has magnitude equal to the distance between A and B.

 

Self-critique (if necessary):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-critique Rating:

 

 

Question: `qUsing the notation of the preceding question, how is the force experienced by the two pieces of tape influenced by the magnitude of AB_v or BA_v?

 

Your Solution:

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Given Solution:

The expected answer is that the force exerted by two charges on one another is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. So as the magnitudes of the vectors, which are equal to the distance between A and B (i.e., to the separation between the two pieces of tape), increases the force decreases with the square of the distance (similarly if the distance decreases the force increases in the same proportion).

 

This answer isn't exactly correct, since the two pieces of tape are not point charges.  Since some parts of tape A are closer to B than other parts of tape A, and vice versa, the inverse square relationship applies only in approximation for actual pieces of tape.

 

STUDENT COMMENT:  Still not sure how to answer this question. I dont know what sort of difference there is between the magnitude vector and the unit vector.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSE:  As noted in the preceding solution, AB_v stands for the vector whose initial point is A and whose terminal point is B, and AB_u stands for a vector of magnitude 1 whose direction is the same as that of AB_u.

To get a unit vector in the direction of a given vector, you divide that vector by its magnitude. So AB_u = AB_v / | AB_v |.

The purpose of a unit vector is to represent a direction. If you multiply a unit vector by a number, you get a vector in the same direction as the unit vector, whose magnitude is the number by which you multiplied it.

 

The problem does not at this point ask you to actually calculate these vectors.  However, as an example:

 

Suppose point A is (4, 5) and point B is (7, 3).  Then AB_v is the vector whose initial point is A and whose terminal point is B, so that AB_v = <3, -2>, the vector with x component 3 and y component -2.

 

The magnitude of this vector is sqrt( 3^2 + (-2)^2 ) = sqrt(11).

 

Therefore AB_u = <3, -2> / sqrt(11) = (3 / sqrt(11), -2 / sqrt(11) ).  That is, AB_u is the vector with x component 3 / sqrt(11) and y component -2 / sqrt(11).  (Note that these components should be written with rationalized denominators as 3 sqrt(11) / 11 and -2 sqrt(11) / 11, so that AB_u = <3 sqrt(11) / 11, -2 sqrt(11) / 11 > ).  The vector AB_u is a unit vector: it has magnitude 1.

 

The unit vector has the same direction as AB_v.  If we want a vector of magnitude, say, 20 in the direction of this vector, we simply multiply the unit vector AB_u by 20 (we would obtain 20 * <3 sqrt(11) / 11, -2 sqrt(11) / 11 > = <60 sqrt(11) / 11, -40 sqrt(11) / 11 >).

 

You don't need to understand this example at this point, but if you wish to understand it you should probably sketch this situation and identify all these quantities in your sketch.</h3>

 

STUDENT RESPONSE

 

AB_v/(AB_v)absolute value
So AB_u would either be 1 or -1.

INSTRUCTOR COMMENT

 

AB_u and BA_v are vectors, so they have both magnitude and direction.

 

Your answer is correct if everything is in one dimension (e.g., if all charges are on the x axis and all forces directed along the x axis).

 

In one dimension direction can be specified by + and - signs.

 

In two dimensions + and - signs are not sufficient.  In two dimensions the direction of a vector is generally specified by its angle as measured counterclockwise from the positive x axis.

In two dimensions, the magnitude of AB_u would be the same as that of BA_u, but the vectors would be in the opposite direction.

 

 

Self-critique (if necessary):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-critique Rating:

 

Question: `qQuery introductory set #1, 1-5

 

Explain how we calculate the magnitude and direction of the electrostatic force on a given charge at a given point of the x-y plane point due to a given point charge at the origin.

Your solution:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Confidence rating:

 

Given Solution:

`a** The magnitude of the force on a test charge Q is F = k q1 * Q / r^2, where q1 is the charge at the origin. The force is one of repulsion if q1 and Q are of like sign, attraction if the signs are unlike.

 

The force is therefore directly away from the origin (if q1 and Q are of like sign) or directly toward the origin (if q1 and Q are of unlike sign).

 

To find the direction of this displacement vector we find arctan(y / x), adding 180 deg if x is negative. If the q1 and Q are like charges then this is the direction of the field. If q1 and Q are unlike then the direction of the field is opposite this direction. The angle of the field would therefore be 180 degrees greater or less than this angle.**

 

Self-critique (if necessary):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Self-critique Rating: