Understanding the Concepts
* Coulomb's Law: This law describes the electrostatic force between charged objects. The force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
* Charge of a Proton: Protons have a positive charge of +1.602 x 10^-19 Coulombs (C).
* Coulomb's Constant: This constant, denoted by 'k', is approximately 8.98755 x 10^9 N⋅m²/C².
Calculation
1. Identify the Variables:
* q1 = q2 = +1.602 x 10^-19 C (charge of each proton)
* r = 12 fm = 12 x 10^-15 m (distance between protons)
* k = 8.98755 x 10^9 N⋅m²/C² (Coulomb's constant)
2. Apply Coulomb's Law:
F = (k * q1 * q2) / r²
3. Substitute the values:
F = (8.98755 x 10^9 N⋅m²/C² * 1.602 x 10^-19 C * 1.602 x 10^-19 C) / (12 x 10^-15 m)²
4. Calculate the force:
F ≈ 1.60 x 10^-2 N
Result
The electric force between two protons 12 fm apart is approximately 1.60 x 10^-2 Newtons. This force is repulsive because both protons have the same positive charge.
