Question

A housefly walking across a surface may develop a significant electric charge through a process similar to frictional charging. Suppose a fly picks up a charge of +52pC. How many electrons does it lose to the surface it is walking across?

Answer 1

The housefly loses approximately 3.25 x 10^7 electrons to the surface it is walking across.

Step-by-step explanation:

The charge of an electron is -1.6 x 10^-19 C (Coulombs). To calculate the number of electrons that a housefly loses, we can use the equation Q = ne, where Q is the charge in Coulombs, n is the number of electrons, and e is the charge of a single electron.

Given that the housefly has a charge of +52 pC (picoCoulombs), we can convert it to Coulombs by multiplying by 10^-12. So, the charge in Coulombs (Q) is 52 x 10^-12 C.

Substituting the values into the equation, we have 52 x 10^-12 C = n x (-1.6 x 10^-19 C).

Simplifying the equation, we get n = 52 x 10^-12 C / (-1.6 x 10^-19 C).

Calculating this value, we find n = -3.25 x 10^7 electrons. Therefore, the housefly loses approximately 3.25 x 10^7 electrons to the surface it is walking across.

Answer 2

When a housefly picks up a charge of +52pC, it loses approximately 3.25 x 10^7 electrons to the surface it is walking across.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a housefly walks across a surface, it can develop an electric charge due to frictional charging. In this case, the fly has a charge of +52pC. To determine the number of electrons it loses, we need to convert the charge to Coulombs and then divide by the charge of a single electron. The charge of a single electron is approximately 1.6 x 10^-19 C. Since the fly has a positive charge, it has lost electrons to the surface. Therefore, the number of electrons it loses can be calculated as follows:

(+52 x 10^-12 C) / (1.6 x 10^-19 C/electron) = 3.25 x 10^7 electrons