Final answer:
In an ionic solution, the magnitude of the current can be calculated by multiplying the charge of the ions by the number of ions passing through per second. The direction of the current depends on the sign of the total charge.
Step-by-step explanation:
In an ionic solution, the magnitude of the current can be calculated by multiplying the charge of the ions by the number of ions passing through per second. In this case, the negative ions have a charge of -e and a quantity of 5.0x10^15, while the positive ions have a charge of +2e and a quantity of 8.0x10^15. The magnitude of the total current can be found by summing the currents of the positive and negative ions:
I_total = (-e * 5.0x10^15) + (2e * 8.0x10^15)
Cancelling out the common factor of e, the expression simplifies to:
I_total = -5.0x10^15 + 16.0x10^15 = 11.0x10^15
The direction of the current can be determined by the sign of the total charge:
If the total charge is negative, indicating more negative ions passing through, then the direction of the current is to the left (-). If the total charge is positive, indicating more positive ions passing through, then the direction of the current is to the right (+).