An electron and a proton have charges of an equal magnitude but opposite sign of 1.6 10-19 C. If the electron and proton in a hydrogen atom are separated by a distance of 5.4 10-11 m, what are the magnitude and direction of the electrostatic force exerted on the electron by the proton?

I don't really understand Coulomb's Law... HELP!!

F=k*q1*q2/r^2

k= 8.99^9
q1= 1.6^-19
q2= -1.6^-19
r^2= 5.4^-11
am i even close?

the ^ should be e sorry...

That is correct, however, you have to square r.

Sure, I'd be happy to help you understand Coulomb's Law!

Coulomb's Law states that the electrostatic force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically, it can be expressed as:

F = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2

Where:
- F represents the magnitude of the electrostatic 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 of the two particles
- r is the distance between the centers of the two particles

Now, let's use Coulomb's Law to solve the problem you mentioned.

Given:
Charge of the electron and proton: |q1| = |q2| = 1.6 x 10^-19 C
Distance between the electron and proton: r = 5.4 x 10^-11 m

First, let's calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force using Coulomb's Law:

F = (8.99 x 10^9 N·m^2/C^2) * ((1.6 x 10^-19 C) * (1.6 x 10^-19 C)) / (5.4 x 10^-11 m)^2

Now, let's solve this equation step by step:

1. Multiply the charges: (1.6 x 10^-19 C) * (1.6 x 10^-19 C) = 2.56 x 10^-38 C^2
2. Square the distance: (5.4 x 10^-11 m)^2 = 2.916 x 10^-21 m^2
3. Calculate the force: (8.99 x 10^9 N·m^2/C^2) * (2.56 x 10^-38 C^2) / (2.916 x 10^-21 m^2)

Now, let's plug these values into a calculator:

F ≈ 8.24 x 10^-8 N

So, the magnitude of the electrostatic force exerted on the electron by the proton is approximately 8.24 x 10^-8 Newtons.

To determine the direction of the force, we know that like charges repel each other, and opposite charges attract each other. Since the electron and proton have opposite charges, the electrostatic force between them is attractive. Therefore, the direction of the force is from the proton towards the electron.

I hope this helps you understand Coulomb's Law better! Let me know if you have any further questions.

Show me your work.

So is -7.89e-8 my answer? Sorry I only have one more time to put it in my homework and I want to make sure I got it right this time!