Final answer:
Electrostatic force varies inversely with the square of the distance between two charged objects as per Coulomb's law. This inverse-square law is central to electromagnetism and is mathematically expressed by FE = k * (|q1*q2|/r2). Unlike gravity which is always attractive, electrostatic forces can be both attractive and repulsive.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to electrostatic force, which is a fundamental concept in physics, more specifically in the field of electromagnetism. According to Coulomb's law, the electrostatic force (FE) between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. This means that if the distance between two charged objects is doubled, the electrostatic force between them becomes four times weaker. Coulomb's law can be mathematically expressed as FE = k * (|q1*q2|/r2), where k is Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges of the objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the two charges.
This principle is similar to the inverse-square nature of other forces such as gravity, as described by Newton's law of universal gravitation. However, it's important to note the differences between gravitational and electrostatic forces; the latter can be either attractive or repulsive depending on the charges involved, whereas gravity is always attractive.