Magnitude Of Electric Force Calculator Formula

Coulomb's Law:

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

Electric Force (F):

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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 magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of 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:

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

Where:

\( F \) — Magnitude of electric force (N)
\( k \) — Coulomb's constant (8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C²)
\( q_1 \) — Charge of first particle (C)
\( q_2 \) — Charge of second particle (C)
\( r \) — Distance between charges (m)

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

3. Importance Of Electric Force Calculation

Details: Calculating electric forces is fundamental in electromagnetism, helping understand atomic structure, chemical bonding, and designing electrical systems and devices.

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter charges in coulombs (C) and distance in meters (m). Distance must be greater than zero. The result shows the magnitude of force in newtons (N).

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is Coulomb's constant?
A: Coulomb's constant (k) is approximately 8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C², derived from the electric constant ε₀ in vacuum.

Q2: Does the calculator consider charge signs?
A: The calculator computes magnitude only. For direction, remember: like charges repel, opposite charges attract.

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

Q4: How does medium affect the force?
A: In different media, k is replaced with 1/(4πε) where ε is the permittivity of the medium. This calculator assumes vacuum/air.

Q5: Is this valid for all charge distributions?
A: The formula applies exactly for point charges. For distributed charges, integration or other methods are needed.