What force exists between a positive charge of 2.6 x 10-6 C and a negative charge of 4.2 x 10-5 C if they are separated by 8 cm?

To determine the force between two charges, you can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the magnitude of the 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 force, k is the electrostatic constant (approximately 9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2), |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the two charges, and r is the distance between them.

In this case, we have a positive charge of 2.6 x 10^-6 C and a negative charge of 4.2 x 10^-5 C, separated by a distance of 8 cm (which can be converted to meters by dividing by 100).

Plugging in the values into the formula, we get:

F = (9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (|2.6 x 10^-6 C| * |4.2 x 10^-5 C|) / (0.08 m)^2

Simplifying:

F = (9 x 10^9) * (2.6 x 10^-6) * (4.2 x 10^-5) / 0.0064

F = 96.075 N

Therefore, the force between the two charges is approximately 96.075 Newtons.

F=kqq/r^2