What is the force, in terms of Coulomb's constant, between two electrical charges of 2 C and -14 C that are 15 m apart?

1 Answer
Jan 25, 2016

The force between two charged particles a distance r m apart is given by F=(kq_1q_2)/r^2 where k is Coulomb's constant. The answer is F=(k*2*(-14))/15^2 = (-28k)/15^2 =(-28k)/225

Explanation:

I'm not sure I can add much more explanation on this one. We were asked for an answer 'in terms of Coulomb's constant', so we've left k as k rather than substitute in its value of 9.0xx10^9 Nm^2C^-2.

The negative sign of the answer just means the two objects experience a force attracting them to each other, because they have opposite charges, rather than a force repelling them, as they would if their charges were the same.