How can we describe the force between two charged bodies?

Short Answer

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Question: Explain the process of describing the force between two charged bodies using Coulomb's Law. Answer: To describe the force between two charged bodies, we first need to understand the concept of electrostatic force, which is the interaction between charged particles. We then apply Coulomb's Law, a formula that states the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The formula is: F = k (|q1 q2|/r^2), where F represents the electrostatic force, k is the electrostatic constant, q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges, and r is the distance between the charged bodies. We also need to determine the direction of the force, which depends on the signs of the charges: repulsive if charges have the same sign and attractive if charges have opposite signs. Finally, we calculate the electrostatic force using the provided values and Coulomb's Law formula.

Step by step solution

01

Understand the concept of electrostatic force

The force between two charged bodies is called the electrostatic force. It is the force that causes charged particles to be repelled from or attracted to one another. Electrostatic force is a fundamental force in nature, and it plays a crucial role in many physical processes.
02

Introduce Coulomb's Law

Coulomb's Law is the formula that describes the electrostatic force between two charged bodies. It states that the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically, it can be represented as: \[F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{r^2}\] where: - F is the electrostatic force - k is the electrostatic constant, approximately equal to \(8.9875 × 10^9 N m^2 C^{-2}\) - \(q_1\) and \(q_2\) are the magnitudes of the charges on the two bodies - r is the distance between the two charged bodies
03

Determine the direction of the force

The direction of the force depends on the signs of the charges. If both charges have the same sign (both positive or both negative), the force will be repulsive, meaning the charged bodies push away from each other. If the charges have opposite signs (one positive and one negative), the force will be attractive, meaning the charged bodies will pull towards each other.
04

Apply Coulomb's Law to calculate the force

Given the values of the charges \(q_1\) and \(q_2\) and the distance r between the two charged bodies, you can calculate the electrostatic force between them using Coulomb's Law. Simply plug in the values into the formula and solve for F: \[F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{r^2}\] In summary, to describe the force between two charged bodies, we apply Coulomb's Law to calculate the magnitude of the electrostatic force and then determine its direction based on the signs of the charges.

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