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gaurabh · May 14, 2009, 08:50 AM

A wire is of length 5 units and it is divided into five equal discrete virtual segments. Three charges of unit magnitude is brought to the wire. What will be the charge in each virtual segment??

harum · May 20, 2009, 07:46 PM

Do you mean the wire is cut into five segments or it is one piece? Can you draw the wire and the three charges?

Perito · May 20, 2009, 08:19 PM

The wire isn't cut. These are "virtual" segments. The outer segments will have more charge than the other segments because of repulsion of charge by itself. The middle segment will have the least charge.

harum · May 20, 2009, 10:26 PM

Ok, I can think of geometry when the wire is at 0 electrostatic field, with no charge redistribution. That's why a diagram would be helpful in showing what problem is aske dto be solved.

gaurabh · May 21, 2009, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Perito

The wire isn't cut. These are "virtual" segments. The outer segments will have more charge than the other segments because of repulsion of charge by itself. The middle segment will have the least charge.

Sir, I just wants to tell a simple fact about the question...

According to Electrostatics a charge is distributed in a wire q=ne. Here, q=3, e=3 times the charge in an electron... so n comes out to be a fraction..
BUT, according to the theory charge exists as small packets called quanta and also n has to be a whole number according to quantum theory but here it is a fractional number so THIS VIOLETS QUANTUM THEORY.
Now, can you answer this question??

Perito · May 21, 2009, 06:44 AM

Hmmm. When you mentioned charges of unit magnitude, I was thinking "coulombs", not unit charges.

I don't think this is a complete violation of quantum theory. There's a lot more to the theory that that. Although the charge is discrete, the influence of the charge will be dispersed (Heisenberg uncertainty principle). There will still be more charge at the ends than at the middle. However, as to the fraction of the charge, I'm afraid that's outside of my expertise.

harum · May 21, 2009, 10:50 PM

The answer may be much simpler than you think. To a very weak electrostatic field a conducting wire may respond with weak polarization of its atoms, very similar to a dielectric in a strong field, giving apparently fractional charges.