Coulomb's Law
* Force is proportional to the product of the charges: The larger the charges, the stronger the force.
* Force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance: As the charges get farther apart, the force weakens rapidly.
Formula:
* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2
Where:
* F is the force between the charges (in Newtons)
* k is Coulomb's constant (approximately 8.98755 × 10^9 N⋅m^2/C^2)
* q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the two charges (in Coulombs)
* r is the distance between the charges (in meters)
Important Considerations
* Opposite charges attract: If one charge is positive and the other is negative, the force will be attractive.
* Like charges repel: If both charges are positive or both are negative, the force will be repulsive.
Example
Let's say you have two charges:
* q1 = +2.0 Coulombs
* q2 = -3.0 Coulombs
* The distance between them is r = 0.5 meters
Plugging into Coulomb's Law:
F = (8.98755 × 10^9 N⋅m^2/C^2) * (2.0 C * -3.0 C) / (0.5 m)^2
F = -2.15 × 10^11 Newtons
The negative sign indicates an attractive force.
Let me know if you'd like to calculate the force for a specific scenario, or if you have any more questions!
