COULOMB’S LAW

by:
Group 4

Aditiya Nugraha
Hanifa Zahranisa
Helena Sri Rahayu
Widyanirmala
Charles Coulomb
French physicist (1736–1806)
Coulomb’s major contributions to
science were in the areas of
electrostatics and magnetism.
During his lifetime, he also
investigated the strengths of
materials and determined the forces
that affect objects on beams,
thereby contributing to the field of
structural mechanics. In the field of
ergonomics, his research provided
a fundamental understanding of the
ways in which people and animals
can best do work.
(Photo courtesy of AIP Niels Bohr
Library/E. Scott Barr Collection)
 Interaction between charges

•The Force of Electric

charges are determined by
the type of charge of the
objects.
•unlike charges attract
•like charges repel
•A strong charge will
attract a weak or neutral
charge
 interact their force lines.
1. Negative and Positive Point
Charge: Lines of force radiate
from the positive, and inward to
the negative
2. Negative and Positive interaction:
Forces originate from the Positive
and end at the negative using the
series of curved lines (attraction)
3. Two Positive charge will deflect
force lines away from the charges.
(2 Negatives are the same except
for direction ( both show
repulsion)
 Coulomb’s Experiment
• Charles Coulomb Figure
Coulomb’s torsion
(1736–1806) balance, used to establish
the
measured the inverse-square law for the
electric
magnitudes of the force between two
electric forces between charges.

charged objects using

the torsion balance,
which he invented
(Fig. beside).
Coulomb’s Experiment
From Coulomb’s experiments, The electric force
• is inversely proportional to the square of the
separation r between the particles and directed along
the line joining them;
• is proportional to the product of the charges q1 and
q2 on the two particles;
• is attractive if the charges are of opposite sign and
repulsive if the charges have the same sign;
• is a conservative force.
Coulomb’s law
The magnitude of the
electrostatic force between two
point electric charges is
directly proportional to the
product of the magnitudes of
each of the charges and
inversely proportional to the
square of the total distance
between the two charges

kq1q2
F12  2 r̂12
r12
SI standard quantity of a charge is a Coulomb (C)

–1 C = 6.0 x 10 28 electrons
–1.9 x 10 -19 C = 1 electron (-)
or
–1 Proton (+) or 1
“elementary” charge
PROBLEM SOLVING
1. The magnitude of two identic point
charge is 0,05 C . The distance is
10 cm. Find the force.
2. Three point charges lie along the x
axis; q1 = 25 nC placed at x=0, q2 =
-10 nC placed at x=2m, and q0 = 20
nC placed at x = 3,5 m. Find the
resultant force at q0.
3. Find the resultant force at charge 20C from the
figure below.
 Solution no.1

0, 05C 0, 05C
 q1 q2 
F21 10 cm F12

kq1q 2
F 2
r


 8,99x109 N .m 2 / C 2  0,05 x10 6 C  0,05 x10 6 C 
(0,1m) 2
 2,25 x 10-3 N
 Solution no.2

2m 1,5 m F10
kq q
F10  1 2 0 rˆ10 q1 = 25nC q2 = -10nC F20
q0 = 20nC
r10
(8,99 109 N .m 2 / C 2 )(25 10 9 )(20 10 9 )
 2
i
(3,5m)
 (0,367 N) i kq2 q0
F20  2
rˆ20
r20
(8,99 109 N .m 2 / C 2 )(10 10 9 C )(20 10 9 C )
 2
i
(1,5m)
 (- 0,799 N)i
Ftotal  F10  F20  (0,367N )i  (0,799N )i  (-0,432N)i
Solution no.3

(9  109 Nm 2 / C 2 )(4 10 6 C )(20 10 6 )

F23  2
 2N
(0,6m)
(9 109 Nm 2 / C 2 )(10  10 6 )(20 10 6 )
F13  2
 1,8 N
(1m)

F13 x  (1,8 N ) cos 37 o  1,4 N

F13 y  (1,8 N ) sin 37 o  1,1N

Fx  1,4 N dan Fy  2,0 N  1,1N

F  1,4 2  3,12  3,4 N
3,1
dan   arctan  66o
1,4