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What is the significance of coulomb's law?

Coulomb’s law is an equation describing the electric force between two charged objects.
Its equation is given as follows:



where F is the force one object exerts on the other, k = 1/4πεo is a constant equal to 9 x 10^9, each q is the electric charge of one of the two objects, and r is the distance between the two objects.
Significance in physics

Coulomb's law is fundamental, to electrical phenomena in physics. For example, an atom is, in one respect, nothing other than a collection of electrical charges, positively charged protons, and negatively charged electrons. Coulombic forces exist among these particles. For example, a fundamental problem involved in a study of the atomic nucleus is explaining how the enormous electrostatic force of repulsion among protons is overcome in such a way as to produce a stable body.

Significance in chemistry
Coulomb's law is used in the study of crystal structure. Crystals are made of charged particles called ions. Ions arrange themselves in any particular crystal (such as a crystal of sodium chloride, or table salt) so that electrical forces are balanced. By studying these forces, mineralogists can better understand the nature of specific crystal structures.


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