Coulomb's Law
The force between two charged objects is described by Coulomb's Law:
F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
Where:
* F is the electric force (in Newtons, N)
* k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²)
* q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges (in Coulombs, C)
* r is the distance between the charges (in meters, m)
Missing Information
To calculate the electric force, you need to know:
* The magnitude of each charge (q1 and q2): You haven't provided the values of the charges.
* The units of the distance: You've given the distance as 0.5 mm, but it needs to be in meters for the formula to work correctly.
Example
Let's say the two charges are each 1 microCoulomb (1 µC = 1 × 10⁻⁶ C) and the distance is 0.5 mm (0.5 × 10⁻³ m). Here's how to calculate the force:
1. Convert the distance to meters: r = 0.5 × 10⁻³ m
2. Plug the values into Coulomb's Law:
F = (8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²) * (1 × 10⁻⁶ C) * (1 × 10⁻⁶ C) / (0.5 × 10⁻³ m)²
3. Calculate the force: F ≈ 35.95 N
Important Note: The force between two positive charges is repulsive. This means the charges will push each other away.
