Question

Two 0.50 g spheres are charged equally and placed 2.5 cm apart. When released, they begin to accelerate at 170 m/s^2 .What is the magnitude of thecharge on each sphere?

Answer 1

`q=7.65*10^(-8)C`

Step-by-step explanation:

Using Newton's second law, we calculate the magnitude of the electric force between the spheres:

`F=ma\\F=0.5*10^(-3)kg(170(m)/(s^2))\\F=0.085N`

The magnitude of the charge in both spheres is the same. So, we calculate the charge, using Coulomb's law:

`F=(kq^2)/(d^2)\\q=\sqrt(Fd^2)/(k)\\q=\sqrt((0.085N)(2.5*10^(-2)m)^2)/(8.99*10^9(N\cdot m^2)/(C^2))\\q=7.65*10^(-8)C`