Final answer:
To find the electric force between two charged objects, we use Coulomb's Law. The forces on each object have the same magnitude due to the principle of action and reaction, and their directions are toward each other because the objects have opposite charges.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the problems related to electric forces, we apply Coulomb's Law, which states that the electric force (F) between two point charges is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them.
The formula given by Coulomb's Law is F = k * |q1 * q2| / r^2, where k is the Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2).
Part A) The magnitude of the electric force on object A is found by substituting the given charges and distance into Coulomb's Law. Since the distance between A and B is 2 cm (0.02 meters), we calculate F = k * |+16 nC * -24 nC| / (0.02)^2, and then convert nC to C by multiplying by 10^-9.
Part B) The magnitude of the electric force on object B is equal to the force on object A due to Newton's Third Law of motion, which states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Part C) The direction of the electric force on object A is toward object B, since they have opposite charges and thus attract each other.
Part D) The direction of the electric force on object B is toward object A, again because opposite charges attract.