Calculating the Force Between Two Electrons at a Distance of 2 Angstroms

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the electrostatic force between two electrons positioned 2 Angstroms apart. The participants are exploring the application of Coulomb's law in this context.

Discussion Character

  • Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to use the formula for electrostatic force, questioning the discrepancy between their calculated result and the answer provided in the textbook. Other participants also share their calculations, noting the use of Coulomb's constant as an alternative approach.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively comparing their results and expressing skepticism about the textbook answer. There is a shared sentiment that the textbook may contain an error, but no consensus has been reached regarding the calculations themselves.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the assumption that the textbook problem is stated correctly, yet they are arriving at different numerical results, which raises questions about the accuracy of the provided answer.

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Okay so I'm working on a question for practice and I'm sure I'm getting the right answer but the answer they give me is something different. Anyway the exact question is:

An electron is located at the origin of the coordinates, and a second electron is brought to a position 2 Angstroms from the origin. Calculate the force between the two electrons.

I'm guessing I need to use the equation:

F(r) = (q1*q2)/(4*(pi)*e*r2)

Where q1 and q2 are the magnitude of the charge of the electrons, which I'm taking to be e2 or (1.602E-19)2

Where pi is pi, ie 3.14159...etc

Where e is the vacuum permittivity constant, 8.854E-12

Where r is the distance between the two electrons in meters which I'm taking to be 2E-10 since 1 angstrom is 10-10 meters

Anyways I do the calculations and I'm getting 5.7666E-9 Newtons but in the back of the problem book it says the answer is 7.1999E-9 Newtons

It's close but I'm wondering if there's some trick to the problem or something I missed. Can someone confirm or dispute if I'm doing this correctly?
 
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I get 5.75. Used Coulomb's constant k = 8.99 x 10^9 instead of your 4*pi*ε.
 
Delphi51 said:
I get 5.75. Used Coulomb's constant k = 8.99 x 10^9 instead of your 4*pi*ε.

both k and 1/4*pi*ε are same ...

and i am also getting same answer i.e. 5.76 nN
so it seems the book is wrong somewhere
 
same answer here.
 
Well I entered the question exactly as it appears in the book so if we're all getting a different answer I guess it is just a problem with the book. Let's hear it for crummy 137$ textbooks.
 
sue the writer :smile:
 

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