The magnitude of electric field experienced by a charge at a certain d...
The magnitude of the electric field is given by Coulomb's Law, which states that the electric field (E) is directly proportional to the source charge (Q) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between the source charge and the point where the electric field is being measured. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:
E = k * (Q/r^2)
where k is the electrostatic constant.
In this question, we are given that the magnitude of the electric field at a certain distance (let's call it r1) is 64 N/C. Let's assume that the source charge at this distance is Q1.
So, we have:
64 = k * (Q1/r1^2) ...(1)
Now, we need to find the magnitude of the electric field at four times the distance (4r1) with a source charge half as strong (Q2 = Q1/2).
Using the same formula, we can write:
E' = k * (Q2/(4r1)^2) ...(2)
To find the magnitude of the electric field at 4r1, we can substitute 4r1 for r in equation (1):
64 = k * (Q1/(4r1)^2)
Simplifying this equation, we get:
64 = k * (Q1/16r1^2)
Multiplying both sides of the equation by 16, we get:
1024 = k * (Q1/r1^2)
This equation is equivalent to equation (1), which means that the magnitude of the electric field at 4r1 is also 64 N/C.
Now, let's substitute the values into equation (2) to find the magnitude of the electric field at 4r1 with a source charge half as strong:
E' = k * (Q2/(4r1)^2)
E' = k * ((Q1/2)/(4r1)^2)
E' = k * (Q1/8r1^2)
Since we know that the magnitude of the electric field at 4r1 is 64 N/C, we can write:
64 = k * (Q1/8r1^2)
Simplifying this equation, we get:
512 = k * (Q1/r1^2)
Comparing this equation with equation (1), we can see that the magnitude of the electric field at 4r1 with a source charge half as strong is 512 N/C.
Therefore, the correct answer is option B) 2 N/C.