Question

A proton is placed in a uniform electric field and thenreleased. Then an electron is placed at this same point and released.Do these two particles experience the same force? The sameacceleration? Do they move in the same direction when released?

Short answer

The two particles experience the same force but in opposite direction.

No, they don’t have the same acceleration.

When released, they move in an opposite direction.

Step-by-step solution

Definition of the acceleration

The rate at which an object's velocity changes with function of time is called acceleration.

The acceleration when the velocity is zero is called initial acceleration. The acceleration from the Newton’s second law is given by,

$\mathbf{a}\mathbf{=}\frac{\mathbf{F}}{\mathbf{m}}$

Here, $\mathrm{m}$is the mass, and $\mathrm{F}$is the force.

Calculation of the force, the acceleration and the direction exerted by the two particles

The charges of the positively charged particle-proton and the negatively charged particle-electron are equal in magnitude but opposite in sign.On each particle, the electric field produces the same magnitude of forces but in opposing directions.

Since the proton has more mass, its acceleration is less than that of an electron. This is because acceleration and mass are inversely related with constant $\mathrm{F}$, $\mathrm{a}=\frac{\mathrm{F}}{\mathrm{m}}$.

Protons accelerate in the direction of the electric field but with a tiny magnitude, while electrons accelerate in the opposite direction.