Coulomb's Law
The force between two charges is described by Coulomb's Law:
* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
Where:
* F is the electrostatic force
* k is Coulomb's constant (a proportionality constant)
* q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges
* r is the distance between the charges
Analyzing the Changes
1. Double the Charges: If you double both charges (q1 and q2), the force will increase by a factor of 2 * 2 = 4.
2. Double the Distance: If you double the distance (r), the force will decrease by a factor of (1/2)² = 1/4.
Combined Effect
Since you're doing both:
* Doubling the charges increases the force by a factor of 4.
* Doubling the distance decreases the force by a factor of 1/4.
The net effect is that the force remains the same. The increase in force due to the larger charges is exactly canceled out by the decrease in force due to the greater distance.
