A Geiger counter is like an electroscope that dischargeswhenever ions formed by radioactive particle produce a conductingpath. A typical Geiger counter consists of a thin conducting wireof radius 0.002 cm stretched along the axis of a conductingcylinder of radius 2.0 cm. The wire and the cylinder carry equaland opposite charges of 8 x 10-10 C all along theirlength of 10.0 cm. What is the magnitude of the electric field atthe surface of the wire? Please show how A Geiger counter is like an electroscope that dischargeswhenever ions formed by radioactive particle produce a conductingpath. A typical Geiger counter consists of a thin conducting wireof radius 0.002 cm stretched along the axis of a conductingcylinder of radius 2.0 cm. The wire and the cylinder carry equaland opposite charges of 8 x 10-10 C all along theirlength of 10.0 cm. What is the magnitude of the electric field atthe surface of the wire? Please show how
Explanation / Answer
for charge distributed along a wire, the electric field isgiven by Gauss' Law: . E = q / 2L r = 8 x 10-10 / 2 * 8.85 x10-12 * 0.10 * 0.00002 = 7.19 x106 N/C