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Lolligirl
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Homework Statement
Suppose that the electric field in the Earth's atmosphere is E = 1.50 x 10^2 N/C, pointing downward. Determine the electric charge in the Earth. (The radius of the Earth is 6371 km, and the Coulomb's constant, ke, is 8.99 x 10^9 N · m2/C2.)
Homework Equations
E=kQr/a^3
Q = E(a^3)/kr
The Attempt at a Solution
I have the equation to solve this (E = kQr/a^3) and have rearranged it to Q = E(a^3)/kr, but my problem is that I don't know what r (or a) is. The Earth's radius would be a, right? Or would it be r? If it's r, then what's a, and vice-versa? Please help me figure r and a's values out.