Physics

• All ordinary matter contains both positive and negative charges

  
• An object is electrically neutral when it has equal amounts of both types of charge
• Objects can lose or gain electric charges, leading to a net charge or excess charge
• Electric charge is a property of tiny particles in atoms, measured in coulombs (C)
• Electric forces are created between all electric charges, attracting or repelling based on charge type
• Coulomb's law describes the strength of the electrostatic force between two charged objects
• The force between charges is directly proportional to the magnitude of each charge
• The force between charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• Coulomb’s law applies to any pair of point charges, with the net force on any one charge being the vector sum of the forces exerted on it by the other charges
• In a scenario with three charges arranged in a line, the net force on a specific charge can be calculated by summing the forces exerted by the other charges
• Coulomb's Law describes the strength of the electrostatic force (attraction or repulsion) between two charged objects
• The electrostatic force (F) is equal to the charge of object 1 (q1) times the charge of object 2 (q2), divided by the distance between the objects squared (r^2), all times the Coulomb constant (k)
• In the formula F = Kq1q2 / r^2:

  • F is the electrostatic force (N)
  • q is the charge (C)
  • r is the separation distance (m)
  • K is the Coulomb’s constant equal to 8.99x10^9 N-m^2/C^2
• The force between two charges gets stronger as the charges move closer together
• The force also gets stronger if the amount of charge becomes larger
• The force between two charges is directed along the line connecting their centers
• Electric forces always occur in pairs according to Newton’s third law
• The force between charges is directly proportional to the magnitude, or amount, of each charge
• Doubling one charge doubles the force
• The force between charges is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them
• Doubling the distance reduces the force by a factor of 2^2 = 4, decreasing the force to one-fourth its original value (1/4)
• This relationship is called an inverse square law because force and distance follow an inverse square relationship