Two point charges, the first with a charge of +3.04×10−6 C and the second with a charge of -4.63×10−6 C , are separated by 22.5 cm.
Find the magnitude of the electrostatic force experienced by the positive charge.
Is the magnitude of the force experienced by the negative charge greater than, less than, or the same as that experienced by the positive charge?
greater
less
the same
To find the magnitude of the electrostatic force experienced by the positive charge, we can use Coulomb's law, which states that the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point charges is given by:
F = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2
where F is the magnitude of the electrostatic force, k is the electrostatic constant (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2), |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the charges, and r is the distance between the charges.
Given that the first charge q1 = +3.04 x 10^-6 C, the second charge q2 = -4.63 x 10^-6 C, and the distance between the charges r = 22.5 cm = 0.225 m, we can now calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force experienced by the positive charge.
F = (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (|3.04 x 10^-6 C| * |-4.63 x 10^-6 C|) / (0.225 m)^2
F = (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (3.04 x 10^-6 C) * (4.63 x 10^-6 C) / (0.225 m)^2
F = (8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2) * (14.091 x 10^-12 C^2) / 0.050625 m^2
F = 0.12835 N
So, the magnitude of the electrostatic force experienced by the positive charge is 0.12835 N.
To determine whether the magnitude of the force experienced by the negative charge is greater, less than, or the same as that experienced by the positive charge, we need to consider that the electrostatic force between charges follows the inverse square law. This means that the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges. In this case, the magnitude of the force experienced by the negative charge can be calculated using the same formula.
Since the charges are the same magnitude and the distance between them is the same, the magnitude of the force experienced by the negative charge will be the same as the magnitude of the force experienced by the positive charge.
Therefore, the magnitude of the force experienced by the negative charge is the same as that experienced by the positive charge.