An electron and a neutral carbon atom are initially 1 × 10−6 apart (about 10000 atomic diameters), and there are no other particles in the vicinity. The polarizability of a carbon atom has been...

An electron and a neutral carbon atom are initially 1 × 10−6 apart (about 10000 atomic diameters), and there are no other

particles in the vicinity. The polarizability of a carbon atom has been measured to be α = 1.96 × 10−40 C m/(N/C).

(a) Calculate the initial magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the electron. Explain your steps clearly. Pay

particular attention to clearly defining your algebraic symbols. Don't put numbers into your calculation until the very

end.

(b) If the electron and carbon atom were initially twice as far apart, how much smaller would the initial acceleration of

the electron be?