Question

A particular nucleus of the element plutonium contains 94 protons and 150 neutrons. What is the magnitude of the force from the nucleus on a single electron that is at a distance of 0.563 × 10–12 m from the plutonium nucleus?

Answer 1

6.83 × 10⁻² N

Step-by-step explanation:

Given:

Number of protons contained by plutonium = 94

Number of neutrons contained by plutonium = 150

Total charge on nucleus, Q = Number of electrons × charge on an electron

or

Q = 94 × 1.6 × 10⁻¹⁹ C

Distance between the nucleus and the electron, r = 0.563 × 10⁻¹² m

Now,

the force is given as;

`F=(kQq)/(r^2)`

where,

k is the Coulomb's constant = 9 × 10⁹ Nm²/C²

q is the charge on the electron

on substituting the respective values, we get

`F=(9*10^9*94*1.6*10^(-19)*1.6*10^(-19))/((0.563*10^(-12))^2)`

or

F = 6.83 × 10⁻² N