Coulomb's law

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/coulomb-s-law

1. What is the discoverer?
2. What is the formula?
3. How does Coulomb's Law explain why opposite charges attract and like charges repel?
4. Why is Coulomb's constant important?

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the discoverer?Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
2. What is the formula?F = k (|q1q2|) / r², where k is Coulomb's constant
3. How does Coulomb's Law explain why opposite charges attract and like charges repel?The force always points along the line that connects the two charges. If the charges are the same sign, the force pushes them apart. If the charges are opposite signs, the force pulls them together.
4. Why is Coulomb's constant important?Coulomb's constant, about 8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C², lets us calculate the exact size of the force between charges. It is the same number used in many physics calculations.

Point Charge: An idealized electric charge concentrated at a single point in space.
Coulomb's Constant (k): A proportionality constant in Coulomb's Law, approximately 8.98755 × 10⁹ N⋅m²/C².
Electric Field: A region around a charged object where a test charge would experience an electrostatic force.