Coulombs Law

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration

 

A +5 C charge applies a 12 N force on a +25 C charge.

What force does the 25 N charge apply on the 5 N charge?



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Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration

Coulombs Law Notes
Fill In The Blank Notes

Meet Charles-Augustin de Coulomb — the physicist behind this law

Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736-1806): portrait, Coulomb's Law F=kq1q2/r2, the torsion balance, and his life story

F) Coulomb's Law for two fixed point charges

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration 

r = distance between charges

F =
(N)
kq1 q2
r2

F -  mutual force of attraction or repulsion

q - charge of each object

k - electrostatic constant -

8.99 x 109 Nm2/C2
(p. 1 Reference)

 

 

 

AP Physics

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration 

 

 

 

 

AP Physics

Giancoli p. 465) 12

12.

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration 

 

 

Ex) What is the electrical force between 2 very small objects located .50 m apart when the charge on one object is 4.0 x 10-8 C and the charge on the second object is 6.0 x 10-5 C

 

 

Ex) What is the electrical force between 2 very small objects located .50 m apart when the charge on one object is 4.0 x 10-8 C and the charge on the second object is 6.0 x 10-5 C

 

r = .50 meters

q1 = 4.0 x 10-8 C

q2 = 6.0 x 10-5 C

k = 8.99 x 109 Nm2/C2
(p. 1 Reference)

 

F =
(N)
k q1 q2
r2

 

 

 

 

Scientific Notation/TI83Plus

More

 

F = (8.99 x 109 Nm2/C2) (4.0 x 10-8 C) 6.0 x 10-5 C
(.50 m2)

 

 

F = 8.6 x 10–2 Newtons

 

 

 

Relationships

F =
(N)
k q1 q2
r2

F,r

 

Inverse Square

 

 

Relationship between

F and r?

 

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration 

 

 

Coulomb’s Law lesson illustration

 

 

 

 

 

How would doubling the distance between the charges change the force between them?

 

 

F would be 1/4 as great

 

 

 

 

 

 F,q?

 

 


F =
(N)
k q1 q2
r2

 

 

Direct

 


 

Two charges attract each other with a force of F.  If one charged was doubled and the other charge was tripled, how would that change the attractive force between these charges?

 

 

F =
(N)
k q1 q2
r2

 

 

Force increases 6 times

 

 

 

Charged Water Drop
 Orbits a Knitting Needle

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check Your Understanding

5 quick questions — pick an answer to see if you’re right.

1. A +5 C charge exerts a 12 N force on a +25 C charge. What force does the +25 C charge exert on the +5 C charge?

2. Two point charges are moved twice as far apart. What happens to the electric force between them?

3. Two charges attract with force F. One charge is doubled and the other is tripled. What is the new force?

4. Two charges of 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ C each are 0.50 m apart. What is the force between them? (k = 8.99 × 10⁹ N·m²/C²)

5. Two negative point charges are placed near each other. The electric force between them is