What is the force, in terms of Coulomb's constant, between two electrical charges of #-1 C# and #-2 C# that are #4 m # apart?

1 Answer
Mar 9, 2016

Use Coulomb's law that describes force between static electrically charged particles. In its scalar form the law is:
#F=k_e|q_1q_2|/ r^2#
#F=8.99×10^9 Nm^2 C^-2|(-1C)(-2C)|/( 4^2 m^2) = 1.12×10^9N#
That is a large force, it should give you an idea how large a coulomb really is. It's a huge amount of charge

Explanation:

Use Coulomb's law that describes force between static electrically charged particles. In its scalar form the law is:
#F=k_e|q_1q_2|/ r^2# where #k_e = 8.99×10^9 Nm^2 C^-2 #
Now substituting the given charges and distance of separation:

#F=8.99×10^9 Nm^2 C^-2|(-1C)(-2C)|/( 4^2 m^2) = 1.12×10^9N#
That is a large force, it should give you an idea how large a coulomb really is. It's a huge amount of charge