Using Coulomb's law, the magnitude of the force (|FE|) between the two charged clouds can be calculated as:
|FE| = k * (|q1| * |q2|) / r^2
where k is Coulomb's constant, |q1| and |q2| are the magnitudes of the charges on the two clouds, and r is the distance between them.
Substituting the given values, we get:
|FE| = (9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (|-1.0 C| * |5.0 C|) / (1.5 x 10^3 m)^2
|FE| = (9 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2) * (5.0) / (1.5 x 10^3 m)^2
|FE| = 15 x 10^6 N
To express this answer in scientific notation with two significant figures, we can write:
|FE| = 1.5 x 10^7 N (rounded to two significant figures)
Therefore, the magnitude of the force between the two charged clouds is 1.5 x 10^7 N.