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Three charges are placed on the x-axis: q1=q at x=0, q2=-3q at x=d, and q3=2q at x. Find the position x for q3 such that the net force on it is zero.

Physics

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Step-by-step solution

2 steps
  1. Define the positions of the charges.

    Let the charge q1=qq_1 = q be placed at the origin, x1=0x_1 = 0.
    Let the charge q2=−3qq_2 = -3q be placed at x2=dx_2 = d.
    Let the third charge q3=2qq_3 = 2q be placed at an unknown position xx.

  2. Determine the region for zero net force.

    For the net force on q3q_3 to be zero, the forces due to q1q_1 and q2q_2 must be equal in magnitude and opposite in direction.
    Since q1q_1 and q2q_2 have opposite signs (qq is positive, −3q-3q is negative), the equilibrium point cannot be between them. If q3q_3 (positive) is between q1q_1 and q2q_2, q1q_1 would repel it to the right, and q2q_2 would attract it to the right. Both forces would be in the same direction, so they cannot cancel.
    Therefore, the equilibrium point must be outside the region 0<x<d0 < x < d.

    Also, for the forces to cancel, the third charge must be closer to the charge with the smaller magnitude. Here, ∣q1∣=∣q∣|q_1| = |q| and ∣q2∣=∣−3q∣=3∣q∣|q_2| = |-3q| = 3|q|. Since $|

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