A water molecule and a neutral carbon atom are initially 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ m apart (about 60000 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 water molecule has a permanent dipole moment whose magnitude is 6.2 × 10⁻³⁰ C · m, which is much larger than the induced dipole for this situation. Assume that the dipole moment of the water molecule points toward the carbon atom. (Also assume the carbon atom is 12C.)
Calculate the initial magnitude and direction of the acceleration of the water molecule.
magnitude m/s²
