Coulomb's law

Coulomb's Law describes the electrical force between two charged objects, Q1 and Q2, separated by a distance R. The formula is F = K * (Q1 * Q2) / R^2, where K (or Ke) is Coulomb's constant, approximately 9 * 10^9 Newton meters squared per Coulomb squared.

Matter can have positive, negative, or neutral electrical charges. Neutral objects have zero charge. Like charges (same sign) repel each other, while opposite charges (different signs) attract. Neutral charges do not interact with electrically charged objects.

The closer two charges are, the stronger the electrical force between them. As charges move closer, the force increases significantly, as depicted by longer force arrows. Conversely, as they move further apart, the force weakens.

Coulomb's Law is quantitative, relating force to electrical charges. The product of Q1 and Q2 is crucial: two positive charges or two negative charges result in a positive, repulsive force, while one positive and one negative charge result in a negative, attractive force. If any charge is neutral (zero), the force is zero.

The R^2 in the denominator means Coulomb's Law is an inverse square law. Doubling the distance between charges reduces the force to one-quarter of its original strength. Halving the distance quadruples the force. This demonstrates that distance profoundly affects the electrical force.

The constant K can also be expressed as 1 / (4πε0), where π is approximately 3.14159, and ε0 (epsilon kn) is the vacuum permittivity or permittivity of free space, approximately 8.85 x 10^-12 Coulomb squared per Newton meter squared.