Two identical conducting spheres, fixed in place, attract each other with a force of 0.083 N when their center to center separation is 45.00 cm. The spheres are then connected by a thin conducting wire. When the wire is removed, the spheres have a net positive charge and repel each other with an electrostatic force of 0.032 N. What was the initial negative charge on one of the spheres, and what was the initial positive charge on the other? Initial negative charge C. Initial positive charge C.
Hint: Use charge conservation and solve for one of the initial charges. You will end up with a quadratic equation