Lesson 7.1.2

7.1.2 Coulomb's law and the field of a point charge Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Physics, Unit 7

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 7.1.2, Coulomb's law and the field of a point charge: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Physics (9PH0), Unit 7: Electric and Magnetic Fields, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. How does the force between two point charges relate to their separation distance r?

    • Inversely as r
    • Proportional to r^2
    • Inversely as r^2
    • Proportional to r

  2. Which expression gives the Coulomb's law constant k in terms of the permittivity of free space epsilon0?

    • k = 4 pi epsilon0
    • k = 1 / (4 pi epsilon0)
    • k = 1 / (2 pi epsilon0)
    • k = epsilon0 / (4 pi)

  3. What type of force exists between two point charges with the same sign?

    • Repulsive force
    • Rotational force
    • Attractive force
    • Zero force

  4. How does electric field strength vary with distance r from a point charge?

    • Inversely as r
    • Proportional to r^2
    • Proportional to r
    • Inversely as r^2

  5. Which equation gives the electric field strength due to a point charge Q at distance r from it?

    • E = Q r^2 / (4 pi epsilon0)
    • E = Q / (4 pi epsilon0 r^2)
    • E = Q / (4 pi epsilon0 r)
    • E = 4 pi epsilon0 Q / r^2

  6. Two point charges of +2.0 microcoulomb and +3.0 microcoulomb are 0.30 m apart. What is the magnitude of the force between them?

    • 0.054 N, repulsive
    • 6.0 N, repulsive
    • 0.20 N, attractive
    • 0.60 N, repulsive

  7. A +4.0 nC charge and a -2.0 nC charge are 0.20 m apart. What is the magnitude and nature of the force between them?

    • 1.8 x 10^-4 N, repulsive
    • 3.6 x 10^-6 N, attractive
    • 9.0 x 10^-7 N, repulsive
    • 1.8 x 10^-6 N, attractive

  8. If the distance between two point charges is doubled, by what factor does force change?

    • Four times
    • Double
    • One quarter
    • One half

  9. What is the electric field strength at a point 0.50 m from a point charge of +2.0 microcoulomb?

    • 2.9 x 10^5 N C^-1
    • 7.2 x 10^4 N C^-1
    • 3.6 x 10^4 N C^-1
    • 1.8 x 10^4 N C^-1

  10. What is the electric field strength 0.20 m from a -5.0 microcoulomb charge?

    • 2.25 x 10^5 N C^-1
    • 4.5 x 10^6 N C^-1
    • 1.1 x 10^6 N C^-1
    • 1.1 x 10^5 N C^-1

  11. Where is the resultant electric field zero between two equal positive charges?

    • Near right charge
    • Near left charge
    • At infinity only
    • At the midpoint

  12. What is the magnitude and nature of the electrostatic force between an electron and a proton separated by 5.3 x 10^-11 m?

    • 1.6 x 10^-19 N, repulsive
    • 8.2 x 10^-9 N, repulsive
    • 8.2 x 10^-8 N, attractive
    • 2.6 x 10^-7 N, attractive

  13. What is the direction of force on a negative charge near a positive charge?

    • Perpendicular to line
    • Towards positive charge
    • Away from positive
    • Zero force

  14. What is the electric field magnitude at the midpoint between +3.0 ̢C and -3.0 ̢C charges 0.60 m apart?

    • 6.0 × 10⁵ N C⁻¹
    • 3.0 × 10⁵ N C⁻¹
    • 0 N C⁻¹
    • 1.2 × 10⁶ N C⁻¹

  15. The electric force between an electron and a proton is compared with the gravitational force between them at the same separation. Approximately what is the ratio of the electric force to the gravitational force?

    • 2.3 x 10^39
    • 2.3 x 10^42
    • 1.2 x 10^10
    • 2.3 x 10^36

  16. The electric field strength at 2.0 m from a point charge is 4.5 x 10^3 N C^-1. What is the magnitude of the charge?

    • 2.0 microcoulomb
    • 8.0 microcoulomb
    • 0.50 microcoulomb
    • 18 microcoulomb

  17. At what distance from charge +q is the electric field zero between charges +q and +4q separated by d?

    • d/4
    • d/2
    • d/5
    • d/3

  18. An electron orbits a proton in a circular path of radius 5.3 x 10^-11 m, with the Coulomb force providing the centripetal force. What is the orbital speed of the electron?

    • 2.2 x 10^6 m s^-1
    • 1.1 x 10^6 m s^-1
    • 4.4 x 10^6 m s^-1
    • 9.1 x 10^5 m s^-1

  19. How does the electric field strength E vary with distance r from a point charge?

    • Directly with r²
    • Inversely with r
    • Directly with r
    • Inversely with r²

  20. What type of charged objects does Coulomb's law strictly apply to?

    • Irregular insulators
    • Charged plates
    • Point charges
    • Extended conductors

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