COULOMB’s LAW

Chapter 1
Lesson 2
OBJECTIVES
• State that there are positive and negative
charges, and that charge is measured in
coulombs.
• Predict charge distributions, and the resulting
attraction or repulsion, in a system of charged
insulators and conductors
• Calculate the net electric force on a point charge
exerted by a system of point charges
ELECTROSTATIC FORCE
The act of REPELLING implies pushing and
the act of ATTRACTING suggests pulling.
PUSH or PULL pertains to FORCE.
An electric charge exerts a force on each
other as they interact.
 ELECTROSTATIC FORCE
A force that comes from the attraction
and repulsion between electric charges.
𝒌𝒒𝟏 𝒒𝟐 • Where 𝑭𝒆 is the electrostatic
force
𝑭𝒆 = 𝟐 • 𝒒𝟏 and 𝒒𝟐 are the mgnitudes of the
𝒓 charges
• 𝒓𝟐 is the distance between charges
• 𝒌 is Coulomb’s constant
COULOMB’S LAW
In 1785 Charles Coulomb (1736–1806)
experimentally established the fundamental law of
electric force between two stationary charged
particles.
Coulomb’s major contribution to science was
in the field of electrostatics and magnetism.
During his lifetime, he also investigated the
strengths of materials and identified the
forces that affect objects on beams, thereby
contributing to the field of structural
mechanics.
COULOMB’S LAW
An electric force has the following properties:
1. It is directed along a line joining the two particles and is
inversely proportional to the square of the separation
distance r, between them.
2. It is proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the
charges, |𝑞1 |and |𝑞1 |, of the two particles.
3. It is attractive if the charges are of opposite sign and
repulsive if the charges have the same sign.
COULOMB’S LAW
From these observations, Coulomb proposed the following
mathematical form for the electric force between two charges:

applies exactly only to point charges and to spherical distributions of charges, in

which case r is the distance between the two centers of charge.
COULOMB’S LAW

Electric forces between unmoving charges are called

ELECTROSTATIC FORCES.
Moving charges, in addition, create MAGNETIC FORCES.
COULOMB’S LAW
• The value of the Coulomb constant depends on the
choice of units.
• The SI unit of charge is the coulomb (C).
• The Coulomb constant in SI units has the value

𝟗 𝒎𝟐
𝒌𝒆 = 𝟖. 𝟗𝟖𝟕 𝟓 × 𝟏𝟎 𝑵 ∙ ൗ 𝟐
𝑪
COULOMB’S LAW
• The charge on the proton has a magnitude of
𝑒 = 1.6 × 10−19 𝐶.
18
• Therefore, it would take 1/𝑒 = 6.242 × 10 protons to
create a total charge of +1.0 C.
• Likewise, 6.242 × 1018 electrons would have a total
charge of −1.0 C.
COULOMB’S LAW
Table 15.1 lists the charges and masses of the electron,
proton, and neutron.
COULOMB’S LAW
• When using Coulomb’s force law,
remember that force is a vector
quantity and must be treated
accordingly.
• Picture shows the electric force of
repulsion between two positively
charged particles.
COULOMB’S LAW
• Like other forces, electric forces obey
Newton’s third law; hence, the forces
𝐹12 and 𝐹21 are equal in magnitude
but opposite in direction.
• From Newton’s third law, 𝐹12 and 𝐹21
are always equal regardless of
whether q1 and q2 have the same
magnitude.
COULOMB’S LAW & GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
• The Coulomb force is similar to the gravitational
force.
• Both act at a distance without direct contact.
• Both are inversely proportional to the distance
squared, with the force directed along a line
connecting the two bodies.
COULOMB’S LAW & GRAVITATIONAL FORCE
• There are two important differences:
(1) electric forces can be either attractive or repulsive,
but gravitational forces are always attractive,
(2) the electric force between charged elementary
particles is far stronger than the gravitational
force between the same particles, as the next
example shows.
COULOMB’S LAW Force Force
of B on of A on
• It means that stronger charges will A B
result in a stronger force and weaker + -
charges will result in a weaker force.
A B
• The greater the distance between
charges, the weaker is the force Force Force
of C on
between them. of D on
D
C
• The force strengthens as the charges + +
move closer to each other. C D
EXAMPLE
1. What is the electrostatic force of
attraction between a −6.0 × 10 𝐶 −6
−6
charge and a 4.0 × 10 𝐶 charge if
they are separated by a distance of 3
meters (m)?

𝑭𝒆 = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟐 𝑵
EXAMPLE
2. Two identically charged one-peso coin
are 1.5 m apart on a table. What is the
charge of one of the coins if each of
them experience a repulsive force of
2.0N?
−𝟓
𝒒𝟏 = 𝟐. 𝟐𝟑 × 𝟏𝟎 𝑪
ACTIVITY
1. Compute for the force attraction between a +1.60 ×
10−19 𝐶 charge and a −2.09 × 10−18 𝐶 charge if they
−10
are 4.01 × 10 𝑚 apart.
2. Calculate the repulsive force between a −1.15 × 10−9 𝐶
−8
charge and a −1.49 × 10 𝐶 charge if a distance of
−20
2.01 × 10 𝑚 separates them.
3. Two ball bearings with opposite charges of 1.11 m apart
on the floor. What are their charges if they are attracted
with a force of 5.11 N?
SUMMARY
As charges move farther from each other,
the electrostatic force between them
weakens. As they move nearer each other,
this force strengthens.
PUNCH LINE:
As two people move farther from each other,
their relationship usually weakens because
of their separation. On the other hand,
relationship gets stronger when two people
find time to be together.
#LDR