A small cork with an excess charge of +6.0 µC is placed 0.95 m from another cork, which carries
a charge of -4.3 µC. What is the magnitude of the electric force between them?
To find the magnitude of the electric force between the two corks, you can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the electric 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.
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 charges of the two corks
r is the distance between the two corks
In this case, q1 is +6.0 µC and q2 is -4.3 µC, and the distance r is 0.95 m.
Plugging in these values into the formula:
F = (8.99 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * ((6.0 × 10^-6 C) * (-4.3 × 10^-6 C)) / (0.95 m)^2
Simplifying the calculation:
F = (8.99 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (-25.8 × 10^-12 C^2) / 0.9025 m^2
F = -231.942 * 10^-3 N
Therefore, the magnitude of the electric force between the two corks is 231.942 * 10^-3 N, or approximately 0.232 N