Notes from the JEE Toppers
Coulomb’s Law:
1. Statement
Coulomb’s law describes the electrostatic force ((F)) between two point charges ((q_1) and (q_2)) separated by a distance ((r)).
2. Mathematical Form
$$[F = \frac{k |q_1 q_2|}{r^2}]$$ Where:
- (F) is the electrostatic force.
- (k) is Coulomb’s constant $$((8.99 \times 10^9 , \text{N m}^2/\text{C}^2)).$$
- q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges.
- (r) is the distance between the charges.
3. Force Direction
The force is attractive for opposite charges (one positive and one negative) and repulsive for like charges (both positive or both negative).
4. Superposition Principle
The total force on a charge due to multiple charges is the vector sum of the forces from each individual charge.
