How Is Electrostatic Force Explained?

Electrostatic force, which is also called the Coulomb force or Coulomb interaction, is defined as the attraction or repulsion of different particles and materials based on their electrical charges. Electrostatic force is one of the most basic forms of forces used in the physical sciences, and was discovered by a French physicist named Charles-Augustin de Coulomb in the 1700s. Coulomb discovered electrostatic force after undertaking an experiment, and used the concept of electrostatic force to describe the interaction of particles and molecules in a given space.

The interaction of molecules in an area is often complex, and depends on a number of factors. While their movement, speed, shape and size are explained through other terms in chemistry and physics, the interactions of these particles based on electrical charge is described with electrostatic force. For electrostatic force to exist, two or more molecules must be present. Most particles contain either positive or negative electrical charges, and the type of charge that they possess plays a key role in determining their likelihood of attracting or repelling each other. In larger objects, other forces such as nuclear force, magnetic force, and gravity shape interactions as well. Nuclear force may create strong bonds between atoms, while gravity and magnetic forces pull objects together across long distances.