Figuring out the magnitude of electric repulsion

[plshlp1224]

Homework Statement

[/B]
In a certain organic molecule, the nuclei of 2 carbon atoms are separated by a distance of .20nm, What is the magnitude of the electric repulsion between them?

Now, I know the distance between them, but it has to be converted into meters:

.20nm = .20 X 10 ^-9m

And k is a proportionality constant, equaling:

8.99 X 10 ^9.

Homework Equations

So I am using Coulomb's law for this which states

F = (K|q1| |q2|)/r^2

The Attempt at a Solution

The only unknowns are q1 and q2. In order to solve for those, I have to know the magnitude of their charge. Since there are 6 protons in a Carbon atom, in order to get the charge I multiply 6 by e, which equals:

1.60X10^-19 C

I have solved for all the unknowns, so all that is left is to plug in all the variables and solve for the F.

F = (8.99 X 10 ^9 * (6*1.60X10^-19)^2)/(.20 X 10 ^-9m)^2

This gives me the final answer of:

2.07x10^-7 N

I wanted to verify that my math and reasoning behind my calculations were correct. Thanks!

 

[erisedk]

Reasoning looks pretty good to me.