Coulomb's Law
The force between two point charges is described by Coulomb's Law:
* F = k * (q1 * q2) / r²
Where:
* F is the force of attraction or repulsion
* 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
Halving the Distance
If we halve the distance (r/2), the force will change as follows:
* F' = k * (q1 * q2) / (r/2)²
* F' = k * (q1 * q2) / (r²/4)
* F' = 4 * [k * (q1 * q2) / r²]
* F' = 4 * F
Conclusion
When the distance between two like charges is halved, the force of repulsion between them increases by a factor of four.
