Chetan Mandayam Nayakar
Last Activity: 13 Years ago
Consider four charges +q at the vertices of a square. From symmetry, the net force is zero. Now consider an additional charge
-q at the fourth vertex. From the principle of superposition this charge distribution is equivalent to the three charge configuration. Force=(1/4πk)((q^2)/(a^2/2))=(1/4πk)(2q^2)/a^2