The image you've uploaded shows a physics problem involving electrostatic forces. Based on the description and the context provided:

• Situation: A sweater has charges (likely positive) on it, and a balloon has charges (likely negative) on it. The problem is asking for the electrostatic force of attraction or repulsion between these charges.

Problem Breakdown

The problem likely requires using Coulomb's Law to calculate the electrostatic force between two charged objects. The formula for Coulomb's Law is:

$F = k \cdot \frac{|q_1 \cdot q_2|}{r^2}$

Where:

• $F$ is the magnitude of the force between the charges.
• $k$ is Coulomb's constant ($8.99 \times 10^9 \, \text{N} \cdot \text{m}^2/\text{C}^2$).
• $q_1$ and $q_2$ are the magnitudes of the two charges.
• $r$ is the distance between the charges.

Key Points:

1. Identify the Charges: The positive charges on the sweater and the negative charges on the balloon.
2. Distance Between Charges: 8.5 cm (0.085 m).
3. Calculate Force: Plug the values into Coulomb's Law.

Calculation:

To find the force, you would need the values of $q_1$ and $q_2$ (the charges on the sweater and balloon). If these values are given, you can proceed with the calculation. If not, the problem might provide this data in another form, or it might ask for a general expression for the force in terms of these charges.

Would you like to go through an example calculation assuming some charge values, or do you have specific charge values from the problem?

Relative Questions:

1. How would the force change if the distance between the objects doubled?
2. What would happen to the force if one of the charges were doubled?
3. How does the sign of the charges affect whether the force is attractive or repulsive?
4. What assumptions are made in Coulomb's Law regarding the medium between the charges?
5. How can Coulomb's Law be applied in a situation with more than two charges?

Tip:

Remember that the electrostatic force decreases rapidly as the distance between charges increases, due to the inverse square law in Coulomb's equation.