Question

The force between a positively charged foam cup and a positively charged metal sphere is 5.2 x 10⁻⁴ newtons. The charge on the cup is 7.2 x 10⁻⁶ coulombs, and the charge on the metal sphere is 6.8 x 10⁻⁶ coulombs. What is the distance between the two objects?

Answer 1

To find the distance between the two charged objects, we use Coulomb's Law. The force between the charges, the charges themselves, and Coulomb's constant are known, allowing us to solve for the distance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves using Coulomb's Law to calculate the distance between two charged objects. According to Coulomb's Law, the force (F) between two charges (q1 and q2) separated by a distance (r) is given by the formula:

F = k * |q1 * q2| / r2

where k is Coulomb's constant (~8.99 x 109 N·m2/C2). Given that the force is 5.2 x 10−4 newtons, the charge on the cup is 7.2 x 10−6 coulombs, and the charge on the metal sphere is 6.8 x 10−6 coulombs, we can rearrange the formula to solve for r:

r = √(k * |q1 * q2| / F)

By inserting the given values into this formula, we can calculate the distance between the two charged objects.