Which of the following statements accurately reflects the relationship between force and distance in Coulomb's

Question

Law? (1 point)
They are proportional; as distance increases, the force between two charges will decrease.
They are proportional; as distance increases, the force between two charges will also increase.
• They are inversely proportional; as distance increases, the force between two charges will decrease.
They are inversely proportional; as distance increases, the force between two charges will also increase.

Answer 1

The correct statement is:

• They are inversely proportional; as distance increases, the force between two charges will decrease.

In Coulomb's Law, the force \( F \) between two point charges is given by the formula:

\[ F = k \frac{|q_1 q_2|}{r^2} \]

where \( k \) is Coulomb's constant, \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) are the magnitudes of the charges, and \( r \) is the distance between the charges. This shows that the force decreases as the distance \( r \) increases, indicating an inverse relationship.