Question

At certain distance from a point charge, you measure an electric field strength of 200 N/C. What will the field strength be if you double your distance from the charge?

Group of answer choices
a. 50 N/C
b. 200 N/C
c. 400 N/C
d. 100 N/C
e. 800 N/C

Answer 1

When you double the distance from a point charge, the electric field strength is reduced to one-fourth of the original strength.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to determine the electric field strength at a doubled distance from a point charge, we can use the equation for the electric field from a point charge: E = kQ/r^2, where E is the electric field strength, k is Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge, and r is the distance from the charge.

When you double the distance from a point charge, the new distance becomes twice the original distance.

Since the electric field strength is inversely proportional to the square of the distance, when the distance is doubled, the electric field strength would be reduced to one-fourth of the original strength.

Therefore, the electric field strength would be 200 N/C divided by 4, which is 50 N/C.