Coulomb's Law
The force between two point charges is described by Coulomb's Law:
* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
Where:
* F is the electrostatic force
* k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C²)
* q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges
* r is the distance between the charges
Analyzing the Changes
1. Doubling the magnitudes: If you double both q1 and q2, the numerator of the equation becomes (2q1 * 2q2) = 4 * (q1 * q2). This increases the force by a factor of 4.
2. Doubling the distance: If you double the distance (r), the denominator of the equation becomes (2r)². This is equal to 4r², which reduces the force by a factor of 4.
Overall Effect
The force increases by a factor of 4 due to the doubled charges, but then decreases by a factor of 4 due to the doubled distance. These effects cancel each other out.
Conclusion
The force between the two charges remains the same.
