Question

An object has a -4 c charge. the object breaks into two pieces. one piece has a charge of -5

c. what is the exact charge (in
c.of the other piece? do not include units with your answer.

Answer 1

Let's call Q the initial charge of the object, which is:

`Q=-4`

When it breaks, the two pieces will have charge
`Q_1` and
`Q_2`, and since the total charge must be conserved, the sum of these two charges must be equal to the initial charge of the object:

`Q=Q_1+Q_2`

We also know the charge of one of the two pieces:

`Q_1=-5`

So, by substituting Q and Q1 into the equation, we can find the charge of the second piece, Q2:

`Q_2=Q-Q_1=-4 -(-5)=-4+5=+1`