Two small metal spheres with masses 2.0 and 4.0 are tied together by a 5.4--long massless string and are at rest on a frictionless surface. Each is charged to +2.4 .
To find the force exerted by each sphere on the other, we can use Coulomb's Law. Coulomb's Law states that the 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.
Here's how you can calculate the force exerted by each sphere on the other:
1. Calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force:
F = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2
Where:
- F is the force between the two spheres
- k is the electrostatic constant, approximately equal to 9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2
- q1 and q2 are the charges on the two spheres
- r is the distance between the centers of the two spheres
Note that we take the absolute value of the charges since both spheres are positively charged.
2. Substitute the given values into the formula:
F = (9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * ((2.4 C) * (2.4 C)) / (5.4 m)^2
Calculating this equation will give us the magnitude of the force between the spheres.
3. The force exerted by each sphere on the other is equal in magnitude but opposite in direction, according to Newton's Third Law. Therefore, each sphere will exert the same amount of force on the other.
By plugging in the given values and evaluating the equation, you should be able to find the result, which represents the magnitude of the force between the spheres.
2.4 what? microcoulombs?
You also need dimensions for the mass and separation. Numbers alone are meaningless.
Is the string tight because of the repulsion force?
What is the question?