Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-course-of-the-year-1-of-the-natural-sciences-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2011/paper-1/section-a/a2/solution

By symmetry, the two grounded plates take equal induced surface charge and the electric field has magnitude between either plate and the sheet. The grounded-plate potential of a central charged sheet is therefore
An electron released at zero potential gains kinetic energy . Thus
The planar infinite-sheet approximation neglects edge effects. Here denotes charge magnitude; the electron's negative charge makes it accelerate toward the positive sheet. Relativistic corrections are below0.1%. Numerical constants use rounded CODATA values, not a claim about the historical handbook: , and . [ref]

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