Final answer:
Coulomb's law describes the electrostatic force between two point charges as proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of their separation distance. The SI unit for electric charge is the Coulomb (C), and Coulomb's constant is 8.99 × 10¹ Nm²/C².
Step-by-step explanation:
Coulomb's law is a fundamental principle in physics that describes the electrostatic force between two point charges. The law states that the force (F) is directly proportional to the product of the electric charges (q1 and q2) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them. Mathematically, it can be expressed as F = k * q1 * q2 / r², where k is the Coulomb's constant, valued at 8.99 × 10¹ Nm²/C² in SI units. The SI unit for the electric charge is the Coulomb (C). This law is an example of an inverse-square law, similar to Newton's law of universal gravitation, but with distinctions in constants and charges types, explaining why the electrostatic force can be both attractive and repulsive, unlike gravity, which is only attractive.