Coulomb's Law PhET Simulation: Investigation of How Magnitude (size) of Charge Affects Electrostatic Force Part 1

For this part, we will be adjusting the size of CHARGE 1 ONLY.
Set the distance between the two charges for 4 cm
Set charge 2 for 8 µC
Given the charge values and the distances, determine the electrostatic force between the charged particles and if they are attracted, repelled, or neither.

**If two charges are attracted, their electrostatic force is negative** **If the two charges are repelled, their electrostatic force is positive**

Column A
1.
Trial 1: Force =:
Trial 1: Force =
2.
Trial 2: Force =:
Trial 2: Force =
3.
Trial 3: Force =:
Trial 3: Force =
4.
Trial 4: Force =:
Trial 4: Force =
5.
Trial 1: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?:
Trial 1: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?
6.
Trial 2: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?:
Trial 2: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?
7.
Trial 3: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?:
Trial 3: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?
8.
Trial 4: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?:
Trial 4: Are the two charge ions attracted, repelled, or neither?

1 answer

Answers will vary based on the specific charge value chosen for CHARGE 1. However, for each trial, the force can be determined using Coulomb's Law equation:

Force = (k * q1 * q2) / d^2

Where k is the electrostatic constant (9 x 10^9 N*m^2/C^2), q1 and q2 are the charges of the two particles, and d is the distance between them.

To determine if the particles are attracted or repelled, the sign of the force can be examined. If it is negative, the particles are attracted. If it is positive, they are repelled. If the force is zero, they are neither attracted nor repelled.

Sample answers (for CHARGE 1 set to -4 µC):

1. Trial 1: Force = -3.6 x 10^-3 N
2. Trial 2: Force = -7.2 x 10^-3 N
3. Trial 3: Force = -1.08 x 10^-2 N
4. Trial 4: Force = -1.44 x 10^-2 N
5. Trial 1: Attracted
6. Trial 2: Attracted
7. Trial 3: Attracted
8. Trial 4: Attracted
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