Given the charge values and the distances, determine the electrostatic force between the charged particles and if they are attracted, repelled or neither.
Trial 1 charge 1: -2 uc charge 2: 8 uc distance apart 4 cm
Can you help me understand how to calculate this
The electrostatic force between two charged particles can be calculated using Coulomb's Law formula:
F = k * |q1 * q2| / r^2
where:
- F is the electrostatic force
- k is the electrostatic constant (k ≈ 9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2)
- q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges on the two particles
- r is the distance between the charges
In this case, q1 = -2 uc (microcoulombs) = -2 x 10^-6 C
q2 = 8 uc = 8 x 10^-6 C
r = 4 cm = 0.04 m (converted to meters)
Now, plug the values into Coulomb's Law formula:
F = (9 x 10^9) * |(-2 x 10^-6) * (8 x 10^-6)| / (0.04)^2
F = (9 x 10^9) * (16 x 10^-12) / (0.0016)
F = (144 x 10^-3) / (0.0016)
F = 90 N
Therefore, the electrostatic force between the two charged particles is 90 Newtons. Since the charges are opposite (one is negative and the other positive), they are attracted to each other.