Question

How would you change the distance between two positively charged particles if the distance is increased by a factor of 2?

a. it is decreased by a factor of 2
b. it is increased by a factor of 2
c. it is increased by a factor of 4
d. it is decreased by a factor of 4

Answer 1

D, it would decrease by a factor of 4

Step-by-step explanation:

We know the force between two charged particles, also known as Coulombs law.

`F = (kq_(1)q_(2))/(r^2)`

We are only changing the distance, not the charges, so we can ignore both q and look at r, which is the distance between the two positively charged particles.

So let F be our initial condition:

`F \alpha (1)/(r^2) \\F' \alpha  (1)/((2*r)^2) = (1)/(4*r^2)\\F' = (1)/(4) *F`

So the answer is D, it decreases by a factor of 4.