Activity B:  The effect of  distanceGet the Gizmo ready: ∙ Turn on Show distance.  ∙ Set qA to 10.0 × 10⁻⁴   C and qB to 1.0 × 10⁻⁴   C.Question: How does distance affect the strength of the electrostatic force?  Observe: Move object A back and forth. How does the distance between the objects affect  the strength of the electrostatic force between them?  *1 pointThe magnitude of the electrostatic force increases and the objects move apart.The magnitude of the electrostatic force decreases and the objects move apart.Predict: How do you think the electrostatic force between two objects would change if the  distance between the two objects was doubled?*1 pointMeasure: Place object A on the x-axis at -2, and object B on the x-axis at +1.   What is the magnitude of the force on object A? |FA| =*1 point What is the magnitude of the force on object B? |FB| =*1 pointDataUsing data above, how does the force change as the distance increases?*2 pointsThe force decreases as the distance increases.The force decreases does not change as the distance increases.The force increases as the distance increases.

1 answer

To answer your questions regarding the electrostatic force between two charged objects:

  1. How does distance affect the strength of the electrostatic force?

    • The correct observation is: The magnitude of the electrostatic force decreases as the objects move apart. This aligns with Coulomb's Law, which states that the electrostatic force between two point charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
  2. Predict: How do you think the electrostatic force between two objects would change if the distance between the two objects was doubled?

    • If the distance between the two objects is doubled, the electrostatic force would decrease by a factor of four (since force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance). So you could say the force would become 1/4 of its original value.
  3. What is the magnitude of the force on object A? |FA| =

    • To find this value, you would need to apply Coulomb's Law formula: \[ F = k \frac{|q_A q_B|}{r^2} \] where \( k \) is Coulomb's constant. Given that \( q_A = 10.0 \times 10^{-4} , C \) and \( q_B = 1.0 \times 10^{-4} , C \), you’d plug in the charges and the distance (which you would need to measure based on placements) to calculate \( |F_A| \).
  4. What is the magnitude of the force on object B? |FB| =

    • Similarly, due to Newton's Third Law, the magnitude of the force on object B will be equal to the magnitude of the force on object A, but the direction will be opposite. Therefore, \( |F_B| \) will be the same as \( |F_A| \).
  5. Using data above, how does the force change as the distance increases?

    • The correct conclusion is: The force decreases as the distance increases. This is consistent with Coulomb's Law, confirming that the electrostatic force weakens when objects are farther apart.

Make sure you perform the calculations for the force based on your specific distance to obtain precise numerical answers.