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Here, k e is a constant, q 1 and q 2 are the quantities of each charge, and the scalar r is the distance between the charges. The force is along the straight line joining the two charges. If the charges have the same sign, the electrostatic force between them makes them repel; if they have different signs, the force between them makes them attract.
Ions of opposite charge are naturally attracted to each other by the electrostatic force. [10] [11] This is described by Coulomb's law: = where F is the force of attraction, q 1 and q 2 are the magnitudes of the electrical charges, ε is the dielectric constant of the medium and r is the distance between the ions.
When talking about electrostatic potential energy, time-invariant electric fields are always assumed so, in this case, the electric field is conservative and Coulomb's law can be used. Using Coulomb's law, it is known that the electrostatic force F and the electric field E created by a discrete point charge Q are radially directed from Q.
In the image, the vector F 1 is the force experienced by q 1, and the vector F 2 is the force experienced by q 2. When q 1 q 2 > 0, the forces are repulsive (as in the image) and when q 1 q 2 < 0 the forces are attractive (opposite to the image). The magnitude of the forces will always be equal.
Therefore, the electrostatic field everywhere inside a conductive object is zero, and the electrostatic potential is constant. The electric field, E {\displaystyle \mathbf {E} } , in units of Newtons per Coulomb or volts per meter, is a vector field that can be defined everywhere, except at the location of point charges (where it diverges to ...
The statcoulomb is defined such that if two electric charges of 1 statC each and have a separation of 1 cm, the force of mutual electrical repulsion is 1 dyne. [1] Substituting F = 1 dyn, q G 1 = q G 2 = 1 statC, and r = 1 cm, we get:
q 1, q 2 are the charges of the interacting particles; r is the interaction radius. A positive value of U is due to a repulsive force, so interacting particles are at higher energy levels as they get closer. A negative potential energy indicates a bound state (due to an attractive force).
The method of image charges (also known as the method of images and method of mirror charges) is a basic problem-solving tool in electrostatics.The name originates from the replacement of certain elements in the original layout with fictitious charges, which replicates the boundary conditions of the problem (see Dirichlet boundary conditions or Neumann boundary conditions).