Chapter 32, Problem 30A

If electrons were positive and protons negative, would Coulomb’s law be written the same or differently?

To determine

Whether the Coulomb’s law is same or different if electrons were positive and protons negative.

Answer to Problem 30A

Coulomb’s law would be written the same.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

According to Coulomb’s law, the electrical force is given by:

  $F=\frac{k{q}_1{q}_2}{r^2}$

Here,

  $k$ is the Coulomb’s constant

  $q_1,q_2$ are the charges

  $r$ is the separation between the charges.

If the electrons were positive and the protons were negative, then there would be no change in the Coulomb’s law. Because according to the Coulomb’s law expression of electrical force, there is no discrimination of positive or negative charges. The law does not differentiate between the negative or positive charges. Hence, the Coulomb’s law would be written the same.

Conclusion:

Thus, the Coulomb’s law would be written the same.