Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 ib Paper 1 16A c Solution Created 2026-09-24 Updated 2026-10-14
At instantaneous height , the image charge is a distance below the real charge, giving force with . Multiplying by and using rest at givesThe induced-conductor potential energy is , not the full energy of a pair of independently movable charges. On the falling branch, integrate the reciprocal speed:The last integral is by . Hence the fall time of a charge toward a grounded plane in the electrostatic Newtonian model isFor there is no force and the particle remains at rest.