NAME: RAM ALLEN C.

RANCHES DATE:
GRADE AND SECTION: 10-EINSTEIN SCORE:

ACTIVITY SHEET NO. 4

The Law of Electrostatic Force

Purpose:
The purpose of this activity is to determine the law of electrostatic force - that is, to determine
the relationship between the force of attraction or repulsion between two charges and the
factors that affect this force.

Getting Ready:
Navigate to the Coulomb's Law Interactive at The Physics Classroom website:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/Physics-Interactives/Static-Electricity/Coulomb-s-Law
Navigational Path:
www.physicsclassroom.com ==> Physics Interactives ==> Static
Electricity ==> Coulomb's Law
Once you've launched the Interactive, resize it to the size that you would like it to be. Then begin
experimenting with the interface. Observe that the two charged objects can be dragged about the
screen and centered on the gridlines of the background grid. Observe that the ruler can also be
dragged about the screen. Observe how the sliders can also be dragged to change the value of the
quantity of charge upon each charge. Finally, observe how the value of the electrostatic force
between objects is displayed in the upper right of the simulation window.

Challenge #1

Charge on 1 Charge on 2 Force

(q1) ( q2) (Felect)
15x10-6 250x10-6 0.6N

30x10-6 500x10-6 2.4N

12x10-6 200x10-6 0.4N

36x10-6 600x10-6 3.7N

11x10-6 240x10-6 0.5N

44x10-6 480x10-6 3.6N

How is electrostatic force (Felect) related to the magnitude of charge on the two objects (q1 and
q2)?
- F-elect is proportional to the magnitude of the charge on the two objects. If any of the charges is
doubled, the F-elect is also doubled. The F-elect will be quadrupled if both charges are doubled.
Keeping the same separation distance for all trials, systematically alter the charges of the objects and
record the force. Be systematic and use purposeful changes such as doubling, tripling, and
quadrupling of charge.
Make a claim describing the relationship between Felect and q1 and q2. Support your claim with
evidence (references to the data) and reasoning.
- Based on the first challenge, I assert that q1 and q2 influence the Felect. When I doubled the
q1, I also doubled the Felect. If both charges are altered, the Felect is altered by the same factor
as the sum of the factors on q1 and q2. For instance, consider the first two options on my
challenge. Q1, 15x10^-6, was doubled to 15x10^-6. The q2, 250x10^-6, was also doubled to
500x10^-6. On two initial charges, the Force was 0.6N. However, because I doubled q1 and
q2, the sum factor is 4. The 0.6N was quadrupled, yielding 2.4N.

Separation Force
Distance (d) (Felect)
30cm 6.0N

15cm 12.0N

60cm 2.4N

80cm 1.5N

10cm 17N

90cm 1.2N

50cm 3N

100cm 1N

Challenge #2
How is the electrostatic force (Felect) related to the separation distance (d) the two charges?
- Felect is inversely related to the distance of separation between two objects. As the distance
between the two object decreases, the Felect increases and vice versa.

Keeping the magnitude of charge on both objects’ constant, conduct a systematic study to collect
data relating separation distance to force. The separation distance is defined as the distance
between the centers of the two objects; the best strategy involves centering the objects on a
gridline and using distances that are a whole number of squares.
Make a claim describing the relationship between Felect and d. Support your claim with evidence
(references to the data) and reasoning.
- The distance between the two objects and the F-elect are inversely related. The F-elect
decreases as the distance increases and vice versa. According to my table, the F-elect
is 3N when the distance between the objects is 50cm. When I reduced the distance to
15cm, the F-elect became 12N.
 Conclusion:
Suggest an equation relating Felect, q1, q2 and d of the form Felect = k•... where k is a
proportionality constant (no need to determine its value). Place the three variables q1, q2 and d
on the right side of the equation in a numerator or a denominator; use a power if needed. Your
equation should be consistent with your claims made in Challenge #1 and Challenge #2.
𝐾𝑞1𝑞2
- 𝐹𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡 = 𝑑2
- The magnitude of the electrostatic force of attraction or repulsion between two electrically
charged bodies is directly proportional to their product and inversely proportional to the
square of their distance.

Felect= Electrostatic Force

K= coulomb’s constant
q1= charge on first object
q2 = charged on second object
d= distance between the two objects