Coulumb's Law at 1 light year distance

In summary, Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between charged particles, which is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. At a distance of 1 light year, the force becomes extremely weak due to the vast separation, demonstrating that while the law holds true regardless of distance, the practical implications of such forces diminish significantly over astronomical distances.
  • #1
Ggb
1
0
Hi,
What happens to the force when the particle are kept at 1 light year distance. I agree practically the force would be very weak because of inverse square law, theoretically what happens to the force?
 
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  • #2
Have you tried plugging that distance into the formula for Coulomb's law?
 
  • #3
Ggb said:
Hi,
What happens to the force when the particle are kept at 1 light year distance. I agree practically the force would be very weak because of inverse square law, theoretically what happens to the force?
I don’t understand the question. If someone asked “what happens to the force at 1 m distance?” what would be the answer you are looking for? What are you looking for with the word “happens”?
 
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  • #4
Ggb said:
I agree practically the force would be very weak because of inverse square law, theoretically what happens to the force?
You already have the answer within the question. It would be very weak unless the charge on each particle was extremely high.
 
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  • #5
Dale said:
If someone asked “what happens to the force at 1 m distance?” what would be the answer you are looking for?
Could he be wondering about the delay at 1ly?
 
  • #6
sophiecentaur said:
Could he be wondering about the delay?
If he means Coulomb's Law literally then I don't think so, no, because that's the field of an eternal stationary charge and it is unchanging throughout all of space. Maybe OP does mean something else, but he hasn't been seen since posting this so I reckon we should wait until he comes back before going too far off on a tangent. (I'm a shoo-in for this year's hypocrisy award with this...)
 
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  • #7
Ibix said:
(I'm a shoo-in for this year's hypocrisy award with this...)
Stand aside, young man - I'm ahead of your in the line.
 
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  • #8
sophiecentaur said:
Could he be wondering about the delay at 1ly?
It could be that. I don’t know, which is why I asked.
 
  • #9
sophiecentaur said:
Could he be wondering about the delay at 1ly?

Ibix said:
If he means Coulomb's Law literally then I don't think so, no, because that's the field of an eternal stationary charge and it is unchanging throughout all of space. Maybe OP does mean something else, but he hasn't been seen since posting this so I reckon we should wait until he comes back before going too far off on a tangent. (I'm a shoo-in for this year's hypocrisy award with this...)

sophiecentaur said:
Stand aside, young man - I'm ahead of your in the line.

Dale said:
It could be that. I don’t know, which is why I asked.
One minute? Looks like a "drive-by" to me.
 
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FAQ: Coulumb's Law at 1 light year distance

What is Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law describes the force between two charged objects. It states that the force is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Mathematically, it is expressed as F = k * (|q1 * q2| / r^2), where F is the force, k is Coulomb's constant, q1 and q2 are the charges, and r is the distance between the charges.

What would be the force between two charges separated by 1 light year according to Coulomb's Law?

The force between two charges separated by 1 light year would be extremely small because the distance (r) in Coulomb's Law is squared in the denominator. Given that 1 light year is approximately 9.461 x 10^15 meters, the force would be inversely proportional to the square of this very large distance, resulting in an almost negligible force.

Is Coulomb's Law still valid at astronomical distances like 1 light year?

In principle, Coulomb's Law is valid at any distance, including astronomical distances like 1 light year. However, in practice, other factors such as the presence of other forces, the medium between the charges, and relativistic effects might complicate the situation. At such vast distances, the force becomes so weak that it may be overshadowed by other interactions.

How does the medium between the charges affect Coulomb's Law at such a large distance?

The medium between the charges can significantly affect the force calculated using Coulomb's Law. In a vacuum, the law applies straightforwardly. However, if the medium has a different permittivity, this would alter the effective force. Over a distance of 1 light year, interstellar medium and cosmic phenomena could influence the result, making the force even weaker or more complex to calculate.

Can we practically measure the force between two charges at a distance of 1 light year?

Practically, measuring the force between two charges at a distance of 1 light year is beyond our current technological capabilities. The force would be exceedingly small, and detecting such a minute force over such a vast distance would require extremely sensitive instruments that we do not yet possess.

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