Three equal charges are placed on the three corners of a square. If the force between q₁ and q₂ is F₁₂ and that between q₁ and q₃ is F₁₃ , then the ratio of magnitudes ( F₁₃ F₁₂ ) is

Step-by-step solution

The given situation is shown in the figure. array ll & |q₁ |= |q₂ |= |q₃ |=q & F₁₂= k q₁ q₂ A B^2 = k q q a^2 & F₁₂= k q^2 a^2 & F₁₃= k q₁ q₃ A C^2 = k q q ( 2 a)^2 array aligned & [ A C= A B^2+B C^2 = a^2+a^2 = 2 a ] & = k q^2 2 a^2 aligned F₁₃ F₁₂ = k q^2 2 a^2 k q^2 a^2 = 1 2