Coulomb's Law Calculator With 3 Charges

Coulomb's Law Formula:

\[ F = k \cdot \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2} \]

Charge 1 (q₁):

Charge 2 (q₂):

Charge 3 (q₃):

Distance between q₁ and q₂:

Distance between q₁ and q₃:

Distance between q₂ and q₃:

Force between q₁ and q₂:

Force between q₁ and q₃:

Force between q₂ and q₃:

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1. What Is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic interaction between electrically charged particles. It states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their 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:

\[ F = k \cdot \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2} \]

Where:

\( F \) — Electrostatic force (N)
\( k \) — Coulomb's constant (8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C²)
\( q_1, q_2 \) — Electric charges (C)
\( r \) — Distance between charges (m)

Explanation: For three charges, the calculator computes the force between each pair of charges using this formula.

3. Importance Of Coulomb's Law

Details: Coulomb's Law is fundamental to understanding electrostatics and is essential in fields like electrical engineering, physics, and chemistry. It helps predict the behavior of charged particles and is the basis for many technological applications.

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter all three charge values in coulombs (C) and the distances between each pair in meters (m). Ensure all distance values are positive and non-zero.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is Coulomb's constant?
A: Coulomb's constant (k) is approximately 8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C² and represents the proportionality factor in Coulomb's Law.

Q2: Does the calculator consider charge signs?
A: The calculator computes the magnitude of force. For direction (attractive/repulsive), consider the signs of the charges.

Q3: What units should I use?
A: Use coulombs (C) for charge and meters (m) for distance to get force in newtons (N).

Q4: Can I use this for more than three charges?
A: This calculator is specifically designed for three charges. For more charges, the calculation becomes more complex due to vector addition of forces.

Q5: Is air considered in the calculation?
A: The calculation assumes charges are in a vacuum. For other media, divide the result by the relative permittivity of the medium.