Understanding Coulomb's Law
Coulomb's Law describes the force between two charged objects:
* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
Where:
* F is the electrostatic force (in Newtons, N)
* k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.99 x 10^9 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)
Solving the Problem
1. Identify the knowns:
* F = 25.0 N
* q1 = q2 = 6.00 C
* k = 8.99 x 10^9 N m²/C²
2. Rearrange Coulomb's Law to solve for r:
* r² = k * (q1 * q2) / F
* r = √(k * (q1 * q2) / F)
3. Plug in the values and calculate:
* r = √((8.99 x 10^9 N m²/C²) * (6.00 C * 6.00 C) / 25.0 N)
* r ≈ 1.14 x 10^5 m
Answer: The two charges are approximately 1.14 x 10^5 meters apart.
Important Note: This is a very large distance, about 114 kilometers! It's important to remember that the force between charges decreases rapidly as the distance between them increases.