electric force magnitude |F|

0.216 N

Verdict: attractive. Opposite signs pull toward each other, each charge feeling 0.216 N.

Steps

  1. 1.convert to coulombs: q1 = 2 microC = 2e-6 C; q2 = -3 microC = -3e-6 C
  2. 2.|F| = k |q1| |q2| / r^2, with k = 9.0 x 10^9 N m^2/C^2 (the AP sheet value)
  3. 3.|F| = 9.0 x 10^9 x 2e-6 x 3e-6 / (0.5)^2
  4. 4.|F| = 0.054 / 0.25 = 0.216 N
  5. 5.the charges have opposite signs, so the force is attractive (they pull together)

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