If the distance between two point charges is tripled, how does the electrostatic
Practice Questions
Q1
If the distance between two point charges is tripled, how does the electrostatic force between them change? (2020)
It triples
It halves
It becomes one-ninth
It remains the same
Questions & Step-by-Step Solutions
If the distance between two point charges is tripled, how does the electrostatic force between them change? (2020)
Step 1: Understand that we are dealing with two point charges and the force between them.
Step 2: Recall Coulomb's law, which states that the electrostatic force (F) between two charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them.
Step 3: Write down the relationship: F ∝ 1/r^2.
Step 4: If the distance (r) is tripled, we can express this as r = 3r_original.
Step 5: Substitute this into the formula: F_new ∝ 1/(3r_original)^2.
Step 6: Simplify the equation: F_new ∝ 1/(9 * r_original^2).
Step 7: This means that the new force (F_new) is 1/9 of the original force (F_original).
Coulomb's Law – Coulomb's law describes the electrostatic force between two point charges, stating that the force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
