Coulomb's law — Science definition
The rule that the force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance: F = kq₁q₂/r².
Where it is taught
- Electric Charge & Fields — Electricity, Magnetism & Circuits, Physics & Environmental Science, Grade 12
In use
To go beyond 'they attract or repel' and actually predict the force, we use Coulomb's law: F = k·q₁·q₂ ÷ r², where the charges are in coulombs, the distance r is in meters, and the constant k ≈ 9 × 10⁹ N·m²/C².
Electric Charge & Fields