Q vs q in Coulomb's Law: Understanding Notation for Charges

[ChiralWaltz]

Homework Statement

This is a question about notation. When working with Coulomb's Law, is Q>0 and q<0? What is the difference between Q and q?

Homework Equations

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The Attempt at a Solution

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[rpthomps]

My understanding is that they are just "different" charges. They may both be negative or both positive or one is positive and one is negative.

 

[ChiralWaltz]

With subscripts to denote which charge is which, I do not understand why Q and q are used. I will check with my professor tomorrow. Thanks for your response.