BEE-1C Applied Physics for Engineers

Assignment No 1

Q.1. Each of two small spheres is charged positively, the total charge being 52.6 µC.
Each sphere is repelled from the other with a force of 1.19 N when the spheres are 1.94 m
apart. Calculate the charge on each sphere.

Q.2. (a) What equal amounts of positive charge would have to be placed on the Earth and
on the Moon to neutralize their gravitational attraction? Do you need to know the Moon’s
distance to solve this problem? Why or why not? (b) How many metric tons of hydrogen
would be needed to provide the positive charge calculated in part (a)? The molar mass of
hydrogen is 1.008 g/mol.

Q.3. Humid air breaks down (its molecules become ionized) in an electric field of 3 × 10 6
N/C. What is the magnitude of the electric force on (a) an electron and (b) an ion (with a
single electron missing) in this field?

Q.4. Calculate the magnitude of the electric field, due to an electric dipole of dipole
moment 3.56 × 10-29 C.m, at a point 25.4 nm away along the bisector axis.

Q.5. A uniform electric field exists in a region between two oppositely charged plates. An
electron is released from rest at the surface of the negatively charged plate and strikes the
surface of the opposite plate, 1.95 cm away, 14.7 ns later. (a) What is the speed of the
electron as it strikes the second plate? (b) What is the magnitude of the electric field?

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