Final answer:
The magnitude of electrostatic force between two charges decreases as their distance apart increases, following an inverse square law relationship. If the separation distance is doubled, the electrostatic force reduces by a factor of four.
Step-by-step explanation:
The electrostatic force between two like charges decreases as the distance between them increases. According to Coulomb's Law, the electrostatic force (F) between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges (q1 and q2) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (r) between them. The law is mathematically expressed as F = k * |q1 * q2| / r^2, where k is Coulomb's constant. Therefore, if two positive charges are originally a fixed distance apart and then are moved further away from each other, the electrostatic force between them will decrease. Similarly to gravity, this decrease will be by the factor of the square of the ratio of the separation distances. If the distance between the charges is doubled, the electrostatic force is reduced to one fourth of its original magnitude, indicating that the factor by which the magnitude of the mutual electrostatic force changes is n squared, where n is the factor by which their separation distance changes.