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Three charges, each of value q, are plac...

Three charges, each of value `q`, are placed at the comers of an equilateral triangle. A fourth charge `Q` is placed at the centre of the triangle. If the value of `Q` for which charges remain stationary is `((-q)/(sqrt(n)))`, then find `n`.

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To solve the problem, we need to find the value of \( n \) such that the charge \( Q \) placed at the center of an equilateral triangle formed by three charges \( q \) remains stationary. ### Step-by-Step Solution: 1. **Understanding the Configuration**: - We have three charges \( q \) located at the corners of an equilateral triangle with side length \( a \). - A fourth charge \( Q \) is placed at the center of the triangle. 2. **Finding the Distance from the Center**: - The distance from the center of the triangle to any vertex (corner) is given by \( \frac{a}{\sqrt{3}} \). 3. **Calculating the Force on Charge \( Q \)**: - Each charge \( q \) exerts a force on charge \( Q \). The force \( F \) between two point charges is given by Coulomb's law: \[ F = k \frac{|qQ|}{r^2} \] - Here, \( r = \frac{a}{\sqrt{3}} \), so the force due to one charge \( q \) on \( Q \) is: \[ F = k \frac{qQ}{\left(\frac{a}{\sqrt{3}}\right)^2} = k \frac{qQ \cdot 3}{a^2} = \frac{3kqQ}{a^2} \] 4. **Resultant Force Calculation**: - Since there are three identical charges \( q \) at the corners, the forces will have a symmetry. The net force \( F_{\text{net}} \) on charge \( Q \) due to the three charges can be calculated. - The angle between any two forces due to the charges is \( 60^\circ \). Therefore, the resultant force can be calculated using the formula for the resultant of two forces: \[ F_{\text{net}} = \sqrt{F^2 + F^2 + 2F \cdot F \cdot \cos(60^\circ)} = \sqrt{F^2 + F^2 + F^2} = \sqrt{3F^2} = F\sqrt{3} \] - Hence, the net force acting on \( Q \) due to the three charges is: \[ F_{\text{net}} = 3 \cdot \frac{3kqQ}{a^2} \cdot \frac{1}{2} = \frac{9kqQ}{2a^2} \] 5. **Condition for Equilibrium**: - For charge \( Q \) to remain stationary, the net force acting on it must be zero. Therefore, we set the net force equal to zero: \[ F_{\text{net}} = 0 \] - This implies that the force due to the charge \( Q \) must balance out the forces from the three charges \( q \): \[ \frac{9kqQ}{2a^2} = 0 \] 6. **Substituting the Value of \( Q \)**: - Given that \( Q = -\frac{q}{\sqrt{n}} \), we substitute this into the equilibrium condition: \[ \frac{9kq\left(-\frac{q}{\sqrt{n}}\right)}{2a^2} = 0 \] - This leads to: \[ -\frac{9kq^2}{2a^2\sqrt{n}} = 0 \] - Since \( k \), \( q \), \( a \) are not zero, we conclude that: \[ \sqrt{n} = 9 \implies n = 81 \] ### Final Answer: Thus, the value of \( n \) is \( 81 \).
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