Physics Chapter 12.1: Coulomb's Law

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Questions and Answers

What is Coulomb's law primarily concerned with?

  • The behavior of charges in a vacuum
  • The relationship between electric charges and magnetic fields
  • The motion of electric charges
  • The force between two point charges (correct)

Which of the following correctly describes the relationship defined by Coulomb's law?

  • Force is inversely proportional to the product of the charges
  • Force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between charges (correct)
  • Force is directly proportional to the distance between charges
  • Force is directly proportional to the product of the charges (correct)

What happens to the force between two like charges according to Coulomb's law?

  • It remains constant regardless of distance
  • It repels each other (correct)
  • It increases with the distance between them
  • It attracts each other

What is the constant of proportionality (k) in Coulomb's law dependent on?

<p>The type of medium between the charges (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In a vacuum, what is the approximate value of the permittivity of free space ( ext{epsilon}_0)?

<p>8.85 * 10^{-12} Nm^2/C^2 (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of distance on the force between two point charges as described by Coulomb's law?

<p>Force decreases with increased distance (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

For two different point charges in free space, if the distance between them is halved, how does the force between them change?

<p>It becomes quadruple the original force (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best represents the mathematical expression of Coulomb's law?

<p>$F = k \frac{q_1q_2}{r^2}$ (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

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Study Notes

Charges and Their Interaction

  • Two types of electric charges exist: positive (protons) and negative (electrons).
  • Like charges repel each other, while unlike charges attract each other.

Historical Context

  • Charles Coulomb conducted the first measurement of electric force in 1874.
  • His experiments led to the formulation of Coulomb's law.

Coulomb's Law

  • Coulomb's law quantifies the force between two point charges.
  • The force (F) is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges (q1 and q2).
  • The force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between the charges.
  • Mathematically expressed as:
    • F ∝ (q1 * q2) / (r²)
    • F = k * (q1 * q2) / (r²)

Force Characteristics

  • F is the magnitude of the mutual force acting on the charges.
  • Force acts along the line that connects the two charges.
  • 'k' represents the constant of proportionality.

Coulomb's Constant

  • The value of 'k' varies with the medium between charges and the unit system used.
  • For free space and SI units:
    • ( k = \frac{1}{4 \pi \epsilon_0} )
    • ( \epsilon_0 ) is the permittivity of free space, valued at ( 8.85 \times 10^{-12} , \text{Nm}^2/\text{C}^2 ).
  • Substitute to find ( k = 9 \times 10^9 , \text{N m}^2/\text{C}^2 ).

Coulomb's Force in Free Space

  • The expression for Coulomb's force in free space becomes:
    • ( F = \frac{1}{4 \pi \epsilon_0} \cdot \frac{q1 \cdot q2}{r^2} )

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