Coulomb's Law
Also known as: electrostatic force law
The force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Coulomb's law quantifies the electric force and is the foundation of electrostatics.
💡 Intuition
Like gravity between masses, but for charges. Double the distance and the force drops to one quarter. Double either charge and the force doubles.
Core Idea
Electric force follows an inverse-square law, just like gravity, but can be attractive or repulsive.
🔬 Example
🎯 Why It Matters
Coulomb's law quantifies the electric force and is the foundation of electrostatics.
⚠️ Common Confusion
Like charges repel, unlike charges attract — the sign of the force tells you the direction.
Related Concepts
Prerequisites
Next Steps
How Coulomb's Law Connects to Other Ideas
To understand coulomb's law, you should first be comfortable with electric charge and electric field. Once you have a solid grasp of coulomb's law, you can move on to electric potential.
Go Deeper
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Coulomb's Law in Physics?
The force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
Why is Coulomb's Law important?
Coulomb's law quantifies the electric force and is the foundation of electrostatics.
What do students usually get wrong about Coulomb's Law?
Like charges repel, unlike charges attract — the sign of the force tells you the direction.
What should I learn before Coulomb's Law?
Before studying Coulomb's Law, you should understand: electric charge, electric field.