1. What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two charged particles. The force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses Coulomb's Law formula:

Where:

• \( F \) — Electrostatic force (N)
• \( k \) — Coulomb's constant (9×10⁹ N m²/C²)
• \( q_1 \) — First charge (C)
• \( q_2 \) — Second charge (C)
• \( r \) — Distance between charges (m)

Explanation: The force is attractive if charges have opposite signs and repulsive if they have the same sign. The calculator returns the magnitude of the force.

3. Importance of Coulomb's Law

Details: Coulomb's Law is fundamental to understanding electrostatics and is used in designing electrical systems, analyzing atomic structure, and many other physics applications.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter charges in Coulombs (can be positive or negative) and distance in meters. Distance must be greater than zero.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is Coulomb's constant?
A: Approximately 9×10⁹ N m²/C², it's the proportionality constant in Coulomb's Law.

Q2: Does the sign of charges matter?
A: While the calculator shows magnitude, opposite charges attract and like charges repel.

Q3: What are typical charge values?
A: Elementary charge is 1.6×10⁻¹⁹ C. Macroscopic objects might have charges in microcoulombs (µC) to millicoulombs (mC).

Q4: What if distance approaches zero?
A: The formula breaks down at very small distances where quantum effects dominate.

Q5: How does this relate to Newton's Law of Gravitation?
A: Both are inverse-square laws, but gravity is always attractive and much weaker.