Write down a mathematical statement of Coulomb’s Law, explaining all the termsused, and comment on its similarity to, and differences from, Newton’s Universal Lawof Gravity

Coulomb's Law is mathematically expressed as:

F = k * |q1*q2| / r²

Where:

• F is the magnitude of the force between the charges.
• q1 and q2 are the amounts of charge.
• r is the distance between the charges.
• k is Coulomb's constant, approximately equal to 8.99 x 10^9 N m²/C².

This law states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. The force is attractive if the charges are of opposite signs and repulsive if the charges are of the same sign.

Comparing this to Newton's Universal Law of Gravity:

F = G * m1*m2 / r²

Where:

• F is the magnitude of the force between the masses.
• m1 and m2 are the masses of the objects.
• r is the distance between the centers of the two objects.
• G is the gravitational constant, approximately equal to 6.674 x 10^-11 N(m/kg)².

Newton's law states that every point mass attracts every other point mass by a force acting along the line intersecting both points. The force is directly proportional to the product of the two masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the point masses.

The similarity between the two laws is that both forces decrease with the square of the distance and increase with the product of the two interacting quantities (mass or charge). The main difference is the nature of the forces: gravitational forces are always attractive, while electrostatic forces can be either attractive or repulsive.