Equal Forces of Attraction and Repulsion for Like Charges in Coulomb's Law?

In summary, if two charges of -1C and +1C are the same distance apart, the force of attraction between them will be the same as the force of repulsion between two charges of +1C and +1C. This is described by Coulomb's law, which can be used to calculate the force of electrostatic repulsion or attraction.
  • #1
Procrastinate
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If I have a positive and negative charge, say -1C and +1C, will the force of attraction be the same as the force of repulsion for a +1C and a +1C charge?

I've been trying to teach this electrostatics chapter to myself before term commences so I can get a bit of a head start.
 
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  • #2
Procrastinate said:
If I have a positive and negative charge, say -1C and +1C, will the force of attraction be the same as the force of repulsion for a +1C and a +1C charge?
Yes. (Assuming the charges are the same distance apart, of course.) The force is given by Coulomb's law.
 
  • #3
Try plugging some values into the equation for the force of electrostatic repulsion/attraction and see what happens =]
 

1. What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law is a fundamental law in physics that describes the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged particles. It states that the force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

2. What is the formula for Coulomb's Law?

The formula for Coulomb's Law is F = k(q1q2)/r^2, where F is the force between two charged particles, k is the Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, and r is the distance between them.

3. What are the units for Coulomb's constant?

The units for Coulomb's constant, k, are Nm^2/C^2, where N is the unit for force, m is the unit for distance, and C is the unit for charge.

4. How does the distance between two charged particles affect the force between them?

The force between two charged particles is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that as the distance between the particles increases, the force between them decreases.

5. What is the significance of Coulomb's constant in Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's constant, k, is a proportionality constant that relates the force between two charged particles to their charges and the distance between them. It has a value of 8.99 x 10^9 Nm^2/C^2 and is an important constant in electrostatics calculations.

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