Three small spheres x,y, and z carry charges of equal magnitudes and with signs shown in fig. They are palced at the vertices of an isosceles triangle with the distance betwwen x and y equal to the distance between x and z. sphere y and z are held in place, but sphere x is free to move on a frictionless surface.

(a) what is the direction of the electric force on sphere x at the point shown in the figure?
(b) Which path is sphere x likely to take when released?

Explanation

(a) along C.
(b) Path D. As x starts moving, the magnitude of electric field dureto charge on z increases. The resultant electric field chages the direction asshown in the figure. Hence, we can say the charge particle follows path D.