Complete question:
if two point charges are separated by 1.5 cm and have charge values of +2.0 and -4.0 μC, respectively, what is the value of the mutual force between them.
Answer:
The mutual force between the two point charges is 319.64 N
Explanation:
Given;
distance between the two point charges, r = 1.5 cm = 1.5 x 10⁻² m
value of the charges, q₁ and q₂ = 2 μC and - μ4 C
Apply Coulomb's law;
[tex]F = \frac{k|q_1||q_2|}{r^2}[/tex]
where;
F is the force of attraction between the two charges
|q₁| and |q₂| are the magnitude of the two charges
r is the distance between the two charges
k is Coulomb's constant = 8.99 x 10⁹ Nm²/C²
[tex]F = \frac{k|q_1||q_2|}{r^2} \\\\F = \frac{8.99*10^9 *4*10^{-6}*2*10^{-6}}{(1.5*10^{-2})^2} \\\\F = 319.64 \ N[/tex]
Therefore, the mutual force between the two point charges is 319.64 N
