A −5 × 10−6 C charge is brought from a very distant point by an external force and placed at the origin.
Calculate the magnitude of the electric
force on this charge.
Answer in units of N
To calculate the magnitude of the electric force on the charge, we need to use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the electric force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
The formula for Coulomb's Law is:
F = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2
Where:
- F is the magnitude of the electric force
- k is the electrostatic constant, approximately equal to 8.99 × 10^9 N•m^2/C^2
- |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the charges
- r is the distance between the charges
In this case, we have:
- |q1| = 5 × 10^-6 C (magnitude of the charge brought to the origin)
- |q2| = 0 (charge at the distant point, which is not mentioned in the problem)
- r = distance between the charges, which is not mentioned in the problem. However, since it is mentioned that the charge at the distant point is brought to the origin, we can assume that the distance between them is zero.
Plugging these values into Coulomb's Law:
F = (8.99 × 10^9 N•m^2/C^2) * (5 × 10^-6 C * 0) / (0^2)
Since |q2| = 0, the electric force will be zero. Therefore, the magnitude of the electric force on this charge is zero Newtons (0 N).