Answer:
2.2nC
Explanation:
Call the amount by which the spring’s unstretched length L,
the amount it stretches while hanging x1
and the amount it stretches while on the table x2.
Combining Hooke’s law with Newton’s second law, given that the stretched spring is not accelerating,
we have mg−kx1 =0, or k = mg /x1 , where k is the spring constant. On the other hand,
applying Coulomb’s law to the second part tells us ke q2/ (L+x2)2 − kx2 = 0 or q2 = kx2(L+x2)2/ke,
where ke is the Coulomb constant. Combining these,
we get q = √(mgx2(L+x2)²/x1ke =2.2nC