Question

The body of a bee carries a charge of -1 x 10-⁹ C after flying through

the air. The charge on the outside of a granule of pollen is 1 x 10-¹11C.
The bee lands so that it is 8 x 10-³ m from the granule of pollen.
Calculate the magnitude of the force between these two charged objects.
Write your answer in scientific notation using one significant figure.
N

Answer 1

The magnitude of the force between these two charged objects is

1x10^-6 N

Answer 2

The magnitude of the force between the bee and the pollen granule is 1.4 x 10^-14 N.

Step-by-step explanation:

he magnitude of the electrostatic force between two charged objects can be calculated using Coulomb's law, which states that:

$F = k \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}$

where F is the electrostatic force in Newtons (N), k is Coulomb's constant, $q_1$ and $q_2$ are the charges of the two objects in Coulombs (C), and r is the distance between the two objects in meters (m).

Plugging in the given values:

$k = 8.99 \times 10^9$ N·m²/C² (Coulomb's constant)

$q_1 = -1 \times 10^{-9}$ C (charge on bee)

$q_2 = 1 \times 10^{-11}$ C (charge on pollen)

$r = 8 \times 10^{-3}$ m (distance between bee and pollen)

$F = (8.99 \times 10^9) \frac{(-1 \times 10^{-9})(1 \times 10^{-11})}{(8 \times 10^{-3})^2} = -1.0 \times 10^{-13}$ N

The force is attractive because the charges are of opposite signs. Therefore, the magnitude of the force between the bee and the pollen is $1.0 \times 10^{-13}$ N (one significant figure).