Question

How does the magnitude of the electrical force between a pair of charged particles change when they are brought to half their original distance of separation? 1. Reduces to one quarter of original value 2. Doubles 3. Doesn’t change 4. Reduces to one half of original value 5. Quadruple

Answer 1

Answer:

5. Quadruple

Explanation:

The electrostatic force between two charged particles is given by:

$F=k\frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}$

where

k is the Coulomb's constant

q1, q2 are the two charges

r is the separation between the charges

If the distance between the charges is reduced to half,

$r' = \frac{r}{2}$

So the new force will be

$F'=k\frac{q_1 q_2}{(r/2)^2}=4(k\frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2})=4F$

So, the force will quadruple.