Force Between Two Electric Charges-

 

Before you go through this article, make sure that you have gone through the previous article on Coulomb’s Law.

 

We have learnt-

• Two like point charges repel each other and two unlike point charges attract each other.
• Coulomb’s law helps to calculate the magnitude of electric force between them.
• The formula for calculating the magnitude of electric force between two point charges is-

 

 

In this article, we will discuss about Electric Force in detail.

 

Electric Force-

 

The mutual force between two Electric Charges with which they attract or repel each other by virtue of their charges is called as electric force.

 

Properties of Electric Force-

 

Property-01:

 

Electric force between two point charges is a central force i.e. it always acts along the line joining the centers of the two charges.

 

Property-02:

 

Electric force between two point charges obeys inverse square law i.e. it is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the centers of the two charges.

 

Property-03:

 

Electric force between two charges may be attractive (for unlike charges) or repulsive (for like charges).

 

Property-04:

 

Electric force is a non-contact force i.e. electric force between two charges is exerted without any physical contact.

 

Property-05:

 

Electric force is a two body interaction i.e. electric force between two charges is not affected by the presence of other charges.

 

Property-06:

 

Electric force is a medium dependent force i.e. it depends upon the nature of medium between the two charges.

 

Property-07:

 

Electric force is a conservative force i.e. work done by electric force in a closed path is always zero.

 

Comparison of Electric Force And Gravitational Force-

 

Similarities-

 

• Both the forces are central forces.
• Both the forces obey inverse square law.
• Both the forces are non-contact forces.
• Both the forces are conservative forces.
• Both the forces can operate even in vacuum.
• Both the forces are long range forces.
• Both the forces obey Newton’s third law.

 

Differences-

 

Electric Force	Gravitational Force
It is the force between two particles due to their charges.	It is the force between two particles due to their masses.
It may be attractive or repulsive in nature.	It is always attractive in nature.
It is a medium dependent force.	It is a medium independent force.
It is very large in magnitude as compared to the gravitational force.	It is the weakest fundamental force in nature. It is almost negligible as compared to the electric force.

 

Read the next article on-

Dielectric Constant | Definition | Formula

 

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