Question

Two charges that are separated by one meter exert 1-N forces on each other. If the charges are pushed together so the separation is 25 centimeters, the force on each charge will be______

Answer 1

Answer: 16N

Explanation:

According to coulombs law which states that the force of attraction between two charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically,

F = kq1q2/r²

If two charges that are separated by one meter exert 1-N forces on each other, the equation will become

1 = kq1q2/1²

kq1q2 = 1 ... (1)

If the charges are pushed together so the separation is 25 centimeters, the force between them becomes,

F = kq1q2/0.25² (25cm converted to meters)

0.0625F = kq1q2 ... (2)

Dividing equation 1 by 2 to determine the force F on each charges, it becomes;

1/0.0625F = kq1q2/kq1q2

1/0.0625F = 1

0.0625F = 1

F = 1/0.0625

F= 16N