Question

An electric field exerts an electrostatic force of magnitude 1.5 x 10-14 newton on an electron within the field. what is the magnitude of the electric field strength at the location of the electron?
a.2.4 x 10-33 n/c
b.1.1 x 10-5 n/c
c.9.4 x 104 n/c
d.1.6 x 1016 n/c

Answer 1

The electrostatic force on the electron is given by
$F=qE$
where q is the electron charge and E the intensity of the electric field.

So, in order to find E, we just need to re-arrange the formula and use $F=1.5 \cdot 10^{-14} N$:
$E= \frac{F}{q} = \frac{1.5 \cdot 10^{-14}N}{1.6 \cdot 10^{-19}C}=9.4 \cdot 10^4 N/C$

So, the correct answer is C.