| the principle that the force between two point charges acts in the direction of the line between them and is directly proportional to the product of their electric charges divided by the square of the distance between them. |
Cou·lomb's law  (kōō'lŏmz', -lōmz')  n. The fundamental law of electrostatics stating that the force between two charged particles is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. [After Charles Augustin de Coulomb.] |
| Coulomb's law
A law stating that the strength of the force exerted by one point charge on another depends on the strength of the charges and on the distance between them. Since Coulomb's law is an inverse square law, higher charges entail stronger force, while greater distances entail weaker force. The force is understood as arising from the electric field that surrounds the charges. The force is repulsive if the charges have the same sign, and attractive if they have opposite sign. |
