Enter the values of two charges and the distance between them into the calculator to determine the electric force between the charges according to Coulomb’s law.
Electric Force Formula
The following formula is used to calculate the electric force between two point charges.
F = k * (|q1 * q2|) / r^2
Variables:
- F is the electric force between the charges (Newtons)
- k is Coulomb’s constant (8.9875517873681764 × 10^9 N m^2/C^2)
- q1 is the magnitude of charge 1 (Coulombs)
- q2 is the magnitude of charge 2 (Coulombs)
- r is the distance between the centers of the two charges (meters)
To calculate the electric force, multiply the absolute value of the product of the two charges by Coulomb’s constant and divide by the square of the distance between the charges.
What is Electric Force?
Electric force is the force of attraction or repulsion between two charged objects. The magnitude of the force is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This relationship is known as Coulomb’s law and is fundamental to the study of electrostatics.
How to Calculate Electric Force?
The following steps outline how to calculate the Electric Force.
- First, determine the magnitude of charge 1 (q1) in Coulombs.
- Next, determine the magnitude of charge 2 (q2) in Coulombs.
- Next, determine the distance (r) between the centers of the two charges in meters.
- Next, gather the formula from above = F = k * (|q1 * q2|) / r^2.
- Finally, calculate the Electric Force (F) in Newtons.
- After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.
Example Problem :
Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.
Charge 1 (q1) = 1.5 × 10^-6 Coulombs
Charge 2 (q2) = -2.5 × 10^-6 Coulombs
Distance (r) = 0.05 meters