The correct answer is (d) it decreases by 1/4.
Coulomb's Law states that the force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
If the distance between the charges is doubled, the denominator of the fraction (r^2) is now four times larger than before. This means that the overall fraction is one-fourth of its original value. Therefore, the force between the charges decreases by a factor of 1/4.
Using the equation for Coulomb's Law, what happens to the force between two objects when you double the distance between them?
\large F=k\frac{q_1q_2}{r^2}
a
it quadruples
b
it doubles
c
it decreases by half
d
it decreases by 1/4
1 answer