1. Understand Coulomb's Law

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

* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²

Where:

* F is the electrostatic force

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

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

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

2. Convert Units

* Convert the distance from centimeters to meters: 5.0 cm = 0.05 m

3. Plug in the Values

* F = (8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²) * (1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ C) * (1.6 × 10⁻¹⁰ C) / (0.05 m)²

4. Calculate the Force

* F ≈ 9.19 × 10⁻⁶ N

Therefore, the force between the two balloons is approximately 9.19 × 10⁻⁶ Newtons.

Important Notes:

* Direction: Since both balloons have a negative charge, the force between them will be repulsive. They will push each other apart.

* Assumptions: We're assuming the balloons are point charges, meaning their size is negligible compared to the distance between them.