Coulomb's Law, Rearranging Equation.

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on applying Coulomb's Law to determine the distance between two electrostatic point charges of +60 microCoulombs and +50 microCoulombs, which exert a repulsive force of 175 N on each other. The relevant equation, Fe = Kc (q1*q2/r^2), is rearranged to solve for r, resulting in the formula R = √(Kc*q1*q2/Fe). The participants confirm that the rearrangement and square root operation are correct, leading to a straightforward solution.

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Syncert
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Homework Statement



Two electrostatic point charges of +60 microCoulombs and +50 microCoulombs exert a repulsive force on each other of 175 N. What is the distance between the two charges?


Homework Equations


Fe=Kc (q1*q2/r^2)


The Attempt at a Solution


I know I need to rearrange the equation, to get r^2 over to the other side of the equation. Do I have to square root both sides to figure this out?

Fe=Kc (q1*q2/r^2)
*r^2 * r^2

Fe*r^2 = Kc (q1*q2)
/Fe /Fe

R^2=Kc*q1*q2/Fe
 
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Welcome to PF!

Hi Syncert! Welcome to PF! :smile:

(try using the X2 and X2 icons just above the Reply box :wink:)
Syncert said:
I know I need to rearrange the equation, to get r^2 over to the other side of the equation. Do I have to square root both sides to figure this out?

Fe=Kc (q1*q2/r^2)
*r^2 * r^2

Fe*r^2 = Kc (q1*q2)
/Fe /Fe

R^2=Kc*q1*q2/Fe

Yes, that's fine …

R = √(Kc*q1*q2/Fe) :smile:
 
Wow it was really that simple...thank you. =]
 

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