Two identical balls, each possessing a charge of 2.00 10⁻⁷ C and a mass of 100 g , are suspended by two 50 cm long insulating strings from a common point. The balls are initially held 5.0 cm apart and subsequently released. Determine the electric force on one of the charged balls at the instant just after release.

Step-by-step solution

The electric force between two point charges is given by Coulomb's law: F = 1 4 ₀ q₁ q₂ r^2 Given that the charges on the balls are q₁ = q₂ = 2.00 10⁻⁷ C and the initial separation is r = 5.0 cm = 5.0 10⁻² m . Substituting the given values into the formula: F = (9 10^9) (2.00 10⁻⁷)^2 (5.0 10⁻²)^2 F = 9 10^9 4.00 10⁻¹⁴ 25 10⁻⁴ F = 36 10⁻⁵ 25 10⁻⁴ F = 1.44 10⁻¹ N = 0.144 N The mass of the balls and the length of the strings do not affect the magnitude of the electric force at the instant of release.