Coulomb's Law: Calculating Force on Charged Particles

[tag16]

Homework Statement

A charged particle A exerts a force of 2.62 micro Newtons to the right on charged particle B when the particles are 13.7 mm apart. Particle B moves straight away from A to make the distance between them 17.7 mm. What vector force does it exert on A?

using coulombs law: (8.99x10^9)(2.62x10^-6)^2/(1.77x10^-2)^2

did I set this up right? if not what did I do wrong?

Homework Equations

coulombs law: F=k q1q2/r^2

The Attempt at a Solution

(8.99x10^9)(2.62x10^-6)^2/(1.77x10^-2)^2

did I set this up right? if not what did I do wrong?

 

[Redbelly98]

The Attempt at a Solution

(8.99x10^9)(2.62x10^-6)^2/(1.77x10^-2)^2

did I set this up right? if not what did I do wrong?

We don't know that the charges are 2.62 μC. The 2.62x10^-6 refers to the force, in Newtons.

You're correcting in using the equation,

F = k q1 q2 / r²​

We don't know q1 or q2 here.

 

[tomcue]

Yes, you have set up the equation correctly. However, it is important to note that Coulomb's law only applies to point charges, so it may not accurately describe the behavior of the charged particles in this scenario. Additionally, the units for force should be Newtons, not micro Newtons. Overall, your approach is correct and you have set up the equation properly.