Electrostatics

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Electrostatics Coulombs Law
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Coulombs Law

• Charles Coulomb discovered that the repulsive
  force due to similar charges or the attractive
  force of dissimilar charges was inversely
  proportional to the square of the distance
  between the two charged bodies.

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Coulombs Law

• Coulomb further discovered that the force was
  proportional to the product of the charge on each
  of the objects.

q2
q1
F ? q1q2
Sphere 1
Sphere 2
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Coulombs Law
Where k 8.99 x 109 Nm2/C2 q1, q2 the
charge of each sphere in Coulombs. r the
distance between the two charged bodies. Applet 1
- Coulomb's Law Applet II - Coulomb's Law Does
this formula appear similar to anything else you
have seen before?
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Key Ideas

• Like charges repel.
• Opposite charges attract.
• The electrostatic force is proportional to the
  charge on the two objects and inversely
  proportional to the square of the distance
  between them.