Answer to Question #160740 in Electricity and Magnetism for Komal Gautam

Question

Apply ing the gauss,'law, prove that the sta le equilibrium(to hold a charged body) is not possible by a static system of charge alone.

Answer 1

Answer

According to theory of physics,

When can a point charge be in stable mechanical equilibrium in the electric field of other charges?conside as three negative charges at the corners of an equilateral triangle in a horizontal plane. Would a positive charge placed at the center of the triangle remain there? (It will be simpler if we ignore gravity for the moment, although including it would not change the results.) The force on the positive charge is zero, but is the equilibrium stable? Would the charge return to the equilibrium position if displaced slightly? The answer is no.

So not possible.