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  • Writer's picturekeshprad

Barron's 2nd Edition DT Q43


43) This question is interesting. We are presented with a situation where a proton and electron are released from rest in a uniform electric field. We need to compare the magnitude of the force, the direction of the fore, and the acceleration of the particles.


We are going to start with the magnitude of the force. Since we are given that the particles are released within identical uniform electric fields, rather than use Coulomb's law, we will rewrite it in a different representation.

Where F[E] is electric force, q is charge of particle, and E is electric field

Since our electric field is the same in both situations, we can act as if it is a constant. The only thing that would affect the force would be the charge of the particle.

Where F[E] is electric force, q is charge of particle, and E is electric field

Since both charges have the same magnitude, the forces will also have the same magnitude as each other. However, since an electron's charge is negative and a proton's charge is positive, the forces will be of opposite sign. This means the forces will point in opposite directions.


Our final step is to determine which particle will have the greater acceleration. Both particles are acted on by the same magnitude force, so let's use Newton's 2nd Law to compare the acceleration of the particles.

Where F[E] is electric force, m is mass, and a is acceleration

Since the magnitude of the force is the same we can act as if it is a constant. This would mean that the mass and acceleration are inversely proportional. So as the mass decreases, the acceleration increases and vice-versa. The mass of the electron is significantly less so the acceleration of the electron will be greater.


Answer: E

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