Two positive charges one 2uc and the other 7uc are separated by a distance of 20cm, what is the magnitude of the electrostatic force that each charge exerts upon the other
To calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two positive charges, you can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the electrostatic force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
The formula to calculate the electrostatic force (F) is given by:
F = (k * q1 * q2) / r^2
Where:
F is the electrostatic force
k is the electrostatic constant (k = 9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2)
q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the two charges
r is the distance between the charges
From the problem, we are given:
q1 = 2 μC (where μC is microcoulombs, 1 μC = 10^-6 C)
q2 = 7 μC
r = 20 cm = 0.2 m
Plugging in the values into the formula, we can calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force.
F = (9 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2 * 2 x 10^-6 C * 7 x 10^-6 C) / (0.2 m)^2
Simplifying the calculation,
F = (9 x 2 x 7) / (4 x 10^-4)
F = 126 / 4 x 10^-4
F = 3.15 x 10^11 N
Therefore, the magnitude of the electrostatic force that each charge exerts upon the other is approximately 3.15 x 10^11 Newtons.