Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two charged particles. In vector form, it is expressed as:
F = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2 * r̂
Where:
F is the electrostatic force between the two charges q1 and q2.
k is Coulomb's constant, approximately equal to 8.99 x 10^9 N·m²/C² in SI units. It represents the proportionality constant that relates the force to the charges and the distance between them.
q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges of the two particles. The charges can be positive or negative, and their sign determines whether the force is attractive (opposite charges) or repulsive (like charges).
r is the distance between the centers of the two charged particles.
r̂ is a unit vector pointing from the first charge (q1) to the second charge (q2). It indicates the direction in which the force acts.
In summary, Coulomb's Law states that the electrostatic force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges (q1 * q2) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them (1/r^2). The force acts along the line joining the two charges and follows the direction of the unit vector r̂. If the charges have the same sign, they repel each other, and if they have opposite signs, they attract each other.