Charges of plus 3 µC and negative 5 µC are 2 mm from each other. The negative 5 µC charge is replaced with a plus 5 µC charge. How will the electrical force between the charges compare with the original force?

By Coulomb’s law, the force’s magnitude depends on the product of the charges’ absolute values and their separation. Those values remain 3 µC, 5 µC, and 2 mm, so the force has the same magnitude. The original opposite charges attract, while the two positive charges repel, so the force is in the opposite direction. The correct choice is “same force, but in the opposite direction.”

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