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  • Calculating Electrostatic Force Between Charged Spheres: A Coulomb's Law Problem
    Here's how to solve this problem using Coulomb's Law:

    1. Understand Coulomb's Law

    Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two charged objects:

    * F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²

    Where:

    * F is the force between the charges (in Newtons)

    * k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²)

    * q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges (in Coulombs)

    * r is the distance between the centers of the charges (in meters)

    2. Set Up the Equation

    Since the spheres have identical charges, we can simplify the equation:

    * F = k * (q²) / r²

    3. Convert Units

    * Convert the distance from centimeters to meters: 75 cm = 0.75 m

    4. Solve for the Charge (q)

    * Rearrange the equation to solve for 'q':

    * q² = (F * r²) / k

    * q = √((F * r²) / k)

    * Plug in the values:

    * q = √((0.30 N * (0.75 m)²) / (8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²))

    * Calculate the result:

    * q ≈ 1.77 × 10⁻⁶ C

    Answer

    The magnitude of the charge on each sphere is approximately 1.77 × 10⁻⁶ Coulombs (or 1.77 micro Coulombs).

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