Object A has a charge of -1 Coulomb. At a given distance the object with which charge would be most strongly attracted by object A

1. -1 c
2. +2 c
3. +1 c
4. -2 c

1 answer

To determine which charge would be most strongly attracted to object A (which has a charge of -1 Coulomb), we need to consider Coulomb's Law. According to Coulomb's Law, the force between two charges is given by:

\[ F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{r^2} \]

where:

  • \( F \) is the magnitude of the force between the charges,
  • \( k \) is Coulomb's constant,
  • \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) are the amounts of the two charges,
  • \( r \) is the distance between the charges.

Attraction occurs between charges of opposite signs. This means that charge A (-1 C) will attract positive charges and repel negative charges.

Let's evaluate the options:

  1. -1 C: This charge is the same sign as object A, so it will be repelled.
  2. +2 C: This charge is opposite in sign, so it will be attracted. The force will be proportional to \( |-1 \times +2| = 2 \).
  3. +1 C: This charge is also opposite in sign, so it will be attracted. The force will be proportional to \( |-1 \times +1| = 1 \).
  4. -2 C: This charge is of the same sign as object A, so it will be repelled.

The charge that is most strongly attracted to object A is +2 C, because it produces the greatest force of attraction (magnitude 2) compared to the other charges.

Thus, the answer is: +2 C.