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What Is An Electrostatic Force?

The electrostatic force is an attractive or repulsive force between charged particles that arises from the electric charges they possess. It is also known as the Coulomb force, named after physicist Charles Coulomb. The electrostatic force works such that like charges repel each other, while unlike charges attract. Examples of electrostatic force include the attraction of plastic wrap to one's hand, paper to a charged scale, and the operation of photocopiers.

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24 views3 pages

What Is An Electrostatic Force?

The electrostatic force is an attractive or repulsive force between charged particles that arises from the electric charges they possess. It is also known as the Coulomb force, named after physicist Charles Coulomb. The electrostatic force works such that like charges repel each other, while unlike charges attract. Examples of electrostatic force include the attraction of plastic wrap to one's hand, paper to a charged scale, and the operation of photocopiers.

Uploaded by

Carlton Grant
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Electrostatic Force

What is an Electrostatic Force?


The electrostatic force is an attractive and repulsive force between particles. These are caused
due to their electric charges. The electric force between a stationary charged body is
conventionally known as the electrostatic force. It is also referred to as Columb’s force.

Why electrostatic force is called coulomb’s force?


This Columb Interaction is named after the French physicist Charles-Augustin de Coulomb. Electrostatic Force
is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. We make use of the Coulomb’s Law to solve the forces created
by configurations of charge.

How the Electrostatic Force Works


Like charges repel one another, while unlike charges attract one another. For example, two positively
charged protons repel each other, as do two negatively charged electrons. Protons and electrons are
attracted to each other.

Electrostatics Examples
There are many examples of electrostatic force. A few of them are listed below

 The force of attraction of the plastic wrap to one’s hand and later when hand is removed from the
wrap.
 The attraction of paper to a charged scale by rubbing to hair.
 The apparently spontaneous explosion of grain silos
 Photocopier & laser printer operation

Things to note

 The electrostatic force is also known as the Coulomb force or Coulomb interaction.
 It's the attractive or repulsive force between two electrically charged objects.
 Like charges repel each other while unlike charges attract each other.
 Coulomb's law is used to calculate the strength of the force between two charges.
How Objects Become Charged

Positive and negative charges


Atoms and electrons

All substances are made of atoms. These are often called particles. An atom is electrically neutral
- has no overall electrical charge. However, each atom contains even smaller particles
called electrons.

 Each electron has a negative charge.


 If an atom gains an electron, it becomes negatively charged.
 If an atom loses an electron, it becomes positively charged.
Electrons can move from one substance to another when objects are rubbed together.

Moving charges

When you rub two different materials against each other, they become electrically charged. This only
works for electrically insulated objects and not with materials like metals, which conduct electricity.

Forces from static electricity


A charged object creates an electric field. You cannot see an electric field, but it surrounds the charged
object. If another charged object is moved into the electric field, a force acts on it. The force is a non-
contact force because the charged objects do not have to touch for the force to be exerted.

Remember,

Repulsion and attraction

Two charged objects will:

 repel each other if they have like charges (they are both positive or both negative)
 attract each other if they have opposite charges (one is positive and the other is negative)

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