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Coulomb's Law

Definition

Coulomb's Law describes the force between two charged objects. It states that this force is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

Analogy

Imagine you and your friend are holding magnets. The closer you bring these magnets together, the stronger they attract or repel each other - just like how charges interact in Coulomb's law. But if one of you has a much larger magnet (a bigger charge), it will have a greater effect on both magnets' movements.

Related terms

Electric Charge: This is a fundamental property of matter that can be either positive or negative, with like charges repelling and opposite charges attracting each other.

Inverse Square Law: This law states that a specified physical quantity or intensity is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source of that physical quantity.

Force Field: A region around a charged particle within which a force would be exerted on other charged particles or objects.

"Coulomb's Law" appears in:

Practice Questions (2)

  • According to Coulomb's law, what two factors affect ionic interaction strength?
  • Coulomb's Law states that the strength of forces that hold atoms together depends on...


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AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.