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  • Coulomb's Law: Calculating the Distance Between Charged Particles
    Here's how to solve this problem using Coulomb's Law:

    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.

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