Here's why:

* Coulomb's Law: The force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means:

* Stronger force at closer distances: As the distance between charges decreases, the force between them increases rapidly.

* Weaker force at greater distances: As the distance between charges increases, the force between them decreases rapidly.

Think of it like this: Imagine two magnets. If you hold them close together, they exert a strong force on each other. If you move them further apart, the force weakens. The same principle applies to electric charges.

In summary:

* Closer charges = stronger force

* Further charges = weaker force