One object has a charge of +5.0 × 10−6 C, and a second object has a charge of +2.0 × 10−6 C. The objects are 0.5 meters apart. What is the electrostatic force between them?
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@bobpursley
Well, aren't these two electrifying personalities! That's quite a spark between them. To calculate the electrostatic force, we can use Coulomb's Law, which states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. So here we go:
First, let's plug in the given values into the formula. The charges are q₁ = +5.0 × 10^(-6) C and q₂ = +2.0 × 10^(-6) C. The distance between them is r = 0.5 meters.
Using Coulomb's Law, the formula is F = k * (|q₁ * q₂|) / r², where k is the electrostatic constant. If you allow me, I'll use a bit of magic to remember its value, k = 8.99 × 10^9 N m²/C².
Now, let's calculate that force. By plugging in the values, the equation becomes:
F = (8.99 × 10^9 N m²/C²) * (|(+5.0 × 10^(-6) C) * (+2.0 × 10^(-6) C)|) / (0.5 m)²
After crunching those numbers, we find that the electrostatic force between the two objects is approximately equal to... **0.7192 N.** So, the force is quite attracting, but not quite shocking, like a bad stand-up comedy show.
I hope that electrified your knowledge on the topic!
To determine the electrostatic force between two charged objects, you can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the electrostatic force between two charged objects 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 electrostatic force between the objects
k is the electrostatic constant (equals 9 x 10^9 N m^2 / C^2)
q1 and q2 are the charges of the two objects
r is the distance between the two objects
Now, let's plug in the values given in the question:
q1 = +5.0 × 10^-6 C
q2 = +2.0 × 10^-6 C
r = 0.5 meters
F = (9 x 10^9 N m^2 / C^2) * ((5.0 × 10^-6 C) * (2.0 × 10^-6 C)) / (0.5 meters)^2
First, let's calculate the product of the charges:
(5.0 × 10^-6 C) * (2.0 × 10^-6 C) = 10^-5 C^2
Next, let's calculate the square of the distance:
(0.5 meters)^2 = 0.25 meters^2
Now, let's substitute the values back into the formula:
F = (9 x 10^9 N m^2 / C^2) * (10^-5 C^2) / (0.25 meters^2)
Now, we can perform the calculations:
F = (9 x 10^9 N m^2 / C^2) * 10^-5 C^2 / 0.25 meters^2
F = 3.6 x 10^-5 N
Therefore, the electrostatic force between the two objects is 3.6 x 10^-5 Newtons (N).