Help calculating charge of Cl- and K+ ions

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the electric force between K+ and Cl- ions using Coulomb's Law. The original poster expresses confusion about determining the charges of these ions and how to approach the calculations, referencing atomic masses without clear direction on the necessary steps.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to understand how to calculate the charges of K+ and Cl- ions and their implications for applying Coulomb's Law. Some participants clarify that K+ has a charge of +1e and Cl- has a charge of -1e, suggesting a starting point for calculations.

Discussion Status

The discussion includes attempts to clarify the charges of the ions involved. While some guidance has been provided regarding the charges, the original poster still expresses uncertainty about the calculations, indicating an ongoing exploration of the topic.

Contextual Notes

The original poster mentions a lack of examples from the professor and a significant gap since their last science courses, which may contribute to their confusion regarding the problem.

runran
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Sorry if this is a ridiculously simple problem, but I don't get it. The professor didn't give examples of how to do this and it's been years since I've taken science courses. I have to determine the electric force (Coulomb's Law) on the K+ ion due to the Cl- ion 9E-10m away. How do you determine the charge of the K+ and Cl- ions? K(19) has atomic mass 39.0983 and Cl(17) has atomic mass 35.4527... but I don't know where to start with calculations. Please help? Thank you.
 
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runran said:
Sorry if this is a ridiculously simple problem, but I don't get it. The professor didn't give examples of how to do this and it's been years since I've taken science courses. I have to determine the electric force (Coulomb's Law) on the K+ ion due to the Cl- ion 9E-10m away. How do you determine the charge of the K+ and Cl- ions? K(19) has atomic mass 39.0983 and Cl(17) has atomic mass 35.4527... but I don't know where to start with calculations. Please help? Thank you.

K+ indicates a charge of +1e; Cl- indicates a charge of -1e, where e is the charge of an electron in coulombs. Therefore, the charge on the K+ in coulombs is 1 [itex]\times[/itex] (1.6x10-19). Do you follow?

~H
 
O.

I guess I was making it harder than it needed to be. Sorry, that was stupid now. Thank you : )
 
runran said:
O.

I guess I was making it harder than it needed to be. Sorry, that was stupid now. Thank you : )

No problem :smile:

~H
 

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