Question

Suppose your rub a balloon in your hair and it acquires a static charge of −2 × 10⁻⁹c. what is the magnitude of the electric field created by the balloon at a location 1 m due north of the balloon? Coulomb’s constant is 9 × 10⁹ N · m²/c² . Answer in units of N/C

Answer 1

To find the magnitude of the electric field created by the balloon at a location 1 m due north of the balloon, we can use Coulomb's law. Coulomb's law states that the electric field (E) created by a point charge is given by the equation E = k * (Q / r^2), where k is Coulomb's constant, Q is the charge, and r is the distance from the charge.

Given that the charge of the balloon is -2 × 10^(-9) C and the distance from the balloon is 1 m, we can substitute these values into the equation:

E = (9 × 10^9 N · m²/C²) * (-2 × 10^(-9) C) / (1 m)^2

Note that the negative sign indicates the direction of the electric field, which in this case is due north.

E ≈ -18 N/C

Therefore, the magnitude of the electric field created by the balloon at a location 1 m due north of the balloon is approximately 18 N/C.