Question

two negative charges that are both -3.0 C push each other apart with a force of 19.2 N how far apart are the charges

Answer 1

The electrostatic force between two charges q1 and q2 is given by

`F=k_e (q_1 q_2)/(r^2)`
where
`k_e =8.99 \cdot 10^9 N m^2 C^(-2)` is the Coulomb's constant and r is the distance between the two charges.

If we use F=19.2 N and q1=q2=-3.0 C, we can find the value of r, the distance between the two charges by re-arranging the previous formula:

`r= \sqrt{k_e (q_1 q_2)/(F) }= \sqrt{ 8.99 \cdot 10^9 N m^2 C^(-2) ((-3.0C)^2)/(19.2 N) } =6.49 \cdot 10^4 m=64.9 km`