What is the force, in terms of Coulomb's constant, between two electrical charges of #16 C# and #-2 C# that are #9 m # apart?

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Answer 1 · 2018-05-01T18:20:30

#=>F = 3.55 xx 10^9 " N"#

or

#=>F = 0.395 k " N"#

Coulomb's Law states that the force between two charges #q_1# and #q_2# separated by distance #r# is:

#=>F = k (|q_1||q_2|)/r^2#

where #k = 8.99 xx 10^9 ("N" * "m") / "C"^2#

Hence,

#F = (8.99 xx 10^9) (|16||-2|)/(9)^2#

#F = (8.99 xx 10^9)(0.39506)#

#=>F = 3.55 xx 10^9 " N"#

If you do want this only in terms of the constant, then this problem is simpler.

#=>F = 0.395 k#