Skip to content
Question of 67

Q.Give Coulomb's law in vector form and explain the terms. Define SI unit of charge.

Karnataka PUCKarnataka II PUC Board 2026Subjective· 3mImportance★★★★★
0% · 0/67 Questions
🔒 Locked · start free trial →

You're viewing a preview — the full solution, concept, methods & PYQ mapping are locked.

Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →

Coulomb's law in vector form: F⃗21=14πε0q1q2r2 r^21\vec{F}_{21} = \dfrac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0}\dfrac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}\,\hat{r}_{21}. The SI unit of charge, the coulomb, is defined through this law (the charge that experiences a force of 9×1099\times10^9 N when a like charge is 1 m away).

Coulomb's law in vector form

Let two point charges q1q_1 and q2q_2 be separated by a distance rr. The force on charge q2q_2 due to charge q1q_1 is

F⃗21=14πε0q1q2r2 r^21\vec{F}_{21} = \frac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0}\frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2}\,\hat{r}_{21}

Explanation of terms:

  • F⃗21\vec{F}_{21} = force exerted on q2q_2 by q1q_1.
  • q1,q2q_1, q_2 = magnitudes (with sign) of the two point charges.
  • rr = distance between the two charges.
  • r^21\hat{r}_{21} = unit vector pointing from q1q_1 towards q2q_2.
  • 14πε0=9×109 N m2 C−2\dfrac{1}{4\pi\varepsilon_0} = 9\times10^9\ \text{N m}^2\,\text{C}^{-2} is the Coulomb constant, where ε0\varepsilon_0 is the permittivity of free space. …

Unlock everything free for 14 days

  • Full step-by-step solutions
  • Concept-first explanations
  • Methods, shortcuts & mistakes
  • PYQ mapping + timed mock tests

Full access for 14 days. No credit card required.