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:

Where:

• \( F \) — Electric force (Newtons)
• \( k \) — Coulomb's constant (8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C²)
• \( q_1, q_2 \) — Electric charges (Coulombs)
• \( r \) — Distance between charges (meters)

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

3. Importance Of Electric Force Calculation

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

4. Using The Calculator

Tips: Enter charges in Coulombs and distance in meters. Distance must be greater than zero. The calculator will compute the magnitude of the electric force in Newtons.

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 the magnitude of force. 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 (10⁻⁶ C) to millicoulombs (10⁻³ C).

Q4: Is Coulomb's Law valid for all distances?
A: It applies to point charges in vacuum. For extended charges or different media, modifications are needed.

Q5: How does medium affect electric force?
A: In materials, the force is reduced by the dielectric constant κ of the medium: F = k|q₁q₂|/(κr²).