A uniformly charged insulating rod of length 19.0 cm is bent into the shape of a semicircle as shown in the figure below. The rod has a total charge of -7.50 µC. (a) Find the magnitude of the electric field (in N/C) at o, the center of the semicircle. 1.17376E7 N/C (b) Find the direction of the electric field at 0, the center of the semicircle. O to the left O to the right O upward O downward O into the page

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### Electric Fields due to a Charged Semicircle

#### Problem Statement
A uniformly charged insulating rod of length 19.0 cm is bent into the shape of a semicircle as shown in the figure below. The rod has a total charge of –7.50 μC.

[Diagram Description: The diagram depicts a semicircular rod with center O, indicating the uniformly charged distribution along the rod.]

#### Questions

##### (a) Find the magnitude of the electric field (in N/C) at O, the center of the semicircle.

\[ \text{Answer: } 1.17376 \times 10^7 \text{ N/C} \]

##### (b) Find the direction of the electric field at O, the center of the semicircle.

- [x] to the left
- [ ] to the right
- [ ] upward
- [ ] downward
- [ ] into the page
- [ ] out of the page

##### (c) What if? What would be the magnitude of the electric field (in N/C) at O if the top half of the semicircle carried a total charge of –7.50 μC and the bottom half, insulated from the top half, carried a total charge of +7.50 μC?

\[ \text{Answer: } 3 \times 10^7 \text{ N/C} \]

#### Explanation

In this problem, a uniformly charged rod is bent into a semicircle, which results in an electric field being generated at the center of the semicircle (point O). 

1. **Magnitude of the Electric Field**: Calculations using principles of electrostatics, specifically integrating the contributions of small charge elements along the semicircle, lead to determining the electric field's magnitude.
2. **Direction of the Electric Field**: Considering the symmetric charge distribution and the negativity of the charge, the overall direction of the electric field at the center O is to the left.

3. **Modified Charge Distribution**: If the semicircle is divided such that the top half carries a charge of –7.50 μC and the bottom half a charge of +7.50 μC, the electric field's magnitude changes due to the opposing directions of the fields generated by these charges.

#### Note:

The given answers are based on calculations following the principles of Coulomb’s law and the superposition of electric fields. For a detailed step-by-step solution, one
Transcribed Image Text:### Electric Fields due to a Charged Semicircle #### Problem Statement A uniformly charged insulating rod of length 19.0 cm is bent into the shape of a semicircle as shown in the figure below. The rod has a total charge of –7.50 μC. [Diagram Description: The diagram depicts a semicircular rod with center O, indicating the uniformly charged distribution along the rod.] #### Questions ##### (a) Find the magnitude of the electric field (in N/C) at O, the center of the semicircle. \[ \text{Answer: } 1.17376 \times 10^7 \text{ N/C} \] ##### (b) Find the direction of the electric field at O, the center of the semicircle. - [x] to the left - [ ] to the right - [ ] upward - [ ] downward - [ ] into the page - [ ] out of the page ##### (c) What if? What would be the magnitude of the electric field (in N/C) at O if the top half of the semicircle carried a total charge of –7.50 μC and the bottom half, insulated from the top half, carried a total charge of +7.50 μC? \[ \text{Answer: } 3 \times 10^7 \text{ N/C} \] #### Explanation In this problem, a uniformly charged rod is bent into a semicircle, which results in an electric field being generated at the center of the semicircle (point O). 1. **Magnitude of the Electric Field**: Calculations using principles of electrostatics, specifically integrating the contributions of small charge elements along the semicircle, lead to determining the electric field's magnitude. 2. **Direction of the Electric Field**: Considering the symmetric charge distribution and the negativity of the charge, the overall direction of the electric field at the center O is to the left. 3. **Modified Charge Distribution**: If the semicircle is divided such that the top half carries a charge of –7.50 μC and the bottom half a charge of +7.50 μC, the electric field's magnitude changes due to the opposing directions of the fields generated by these charges. #### Note: The given answers are based on calculations following the principles of Coulomb’s law and the superposition of electric fields. For a detailed step-by-step solution, one
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