What is the formula for electrostatic force between two charges?

The formula for electrostatic force between two charges is derived from Coulomb's Law. This law states that the force ( F ) between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The formula is expressed as:

[ F = \frac{K \cdot q_1 \cdot q_2}{r^2} ]

In this formula:

• ( F ) is the electrostatic force between the two charges,
• ( K ) is the Coulomb's constant, which quantifies the electrostatic force in a vacuum,
• ( q_1 ) and ( q_2 ) are the magnitudes of the two charges, and
• ( r ) is the distance between the centers of the two charges.

The structure of the formula emphasizes the significance of both the charges and the distance between them: as the charges increase, the force increases, and as the distance increases, the force decreases. This relationship is crucial for understanding how charged objects interact in electrostatics.

In contrast, other options modify the relationships between charges and distance incorrectly — for instance, adding or subtracting charges or altering the