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

Answer:

$q=7.65*10^{-8}C$

Explanation:

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

$F=ma\\F=0.5*10^{-3}kg(170\frac{m}{s^2})\\F=0.085N$

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

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