Question

Two shirts are removed from a dryer and attract each other with a force of 0.5N while they are separated by 1 cm. If the two shirts are equally charged, what would their charge and the force be if they are separated by 4 cm?

Answer 1

C. 7.4E-6C, 0.03 N

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

1) Charge:
`</strong>7.5\cdot 10^(-8) C<strong>`

Step-by-step explanation:

The electrostatic force between the two shirts is:

`F=k(q_1 q_2)/(r^2)`

where

k is the Coulomb's constant

q1 = q2 = q is the charge of each shirt (they are equally charged)

r = 4 cm = 0.04 m is the distance between the shirts

F = 0.5 N is the force

Re-arranging the equation, we can find q, the charge of each shirt:

`q=\sqrt{(Fr^2)/(k)}=\sqrt{((0.5 N)(0.01 m)^2)/(9\cdot 10^9)}=7.5\cdot 10^(-8) C`

2) Force if they are separated by 4 cm: 0.03 N

In this case, the force between the two shirts would be:

`F=k(q_1 q_2)/(r^2)=(9\cdot 10^9)((7.5\cdot 10^(-8)C)^2)/((0.04 m)^2)=0.03 N`