Coulomb's law

The mathematical formula for Coulomb's Law is F = k * (q1 * q2) / r², where F is the electrostatic force, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between them. The constant 'k' is Coulomb's constant, which is approximately 8.987 x 10^9 N⋅m²/C².

The law was discovered by the French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb in 1785. He proved the inverse-square law mathematically using a highly sensitive torsion balance that he invented himself to measure the incredibly faint electrostatic forces.

Both laws are inverse-square laws, meaning the force drops off rapidly as the distance between the two objects increases. However, gravity only attracts, while electrostatic forces calculated by Coulomb's Law can be both attractive (opposite charges) and repulsive (like charges).

Coulomb's Law only applies to stationary point charges, meaning it cannot accurately calculate forces between moving charges. Furthermore, the law assumes a vacuum, so calculations must be adjusted when the charged particles are placed in a material medium with different permittivity.