Coulomb's law: Two identical small conducting spheres are separated by 0.60 m. The spheres carry different amounts of charge and each sphere experiences an attractive electric force of 10.8 N. The total charge on the two spheres is -24 μC. The two spheres are now connected by a slender conducting wire, which is then removed. The electric force on each sphere is closest to
A) zero.
B) 3.6 N, attractive.
C) 5.4 N, attractive.
D) 3.6 N, repulsive.
E) 5.4 N, repulsive.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When the spheres are connected by a wire, charges redistribute equally. The total charge is -24 μC, so each sphere gets -12 μC. Using Coulomb's law, the force is repulsive because both spheres have the same charge, and the magnitude is calculated to be 3.6 N.

Coulomb's Law: Two Identical Small Conducting Spheres Are Separated by 0.60