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Electrostatic Force

Key Stage 3

Meaning

The electrostatic force is a force that causes charged objects to be attracted or repelled by one another.

About The Electrostatic Force

Electrostatic Force is a force so it is measured in Newtons.
Electrostatic Force is a non-contact force because it can act without objects touching.
ElectrostaticAttraction.gif
A positively charged and negatively charged object will be attracted to each other.
ElectrostaticRepulsionNegative.gif
Two negatively charged objects repel each other.
ElectrostaticRepulsionPositive.gif
Two positively charged objects repel each other.

Key Stage 4

Meaning

The electrostatic force is a force that causes charged objects to be attracted or repelled by one another.

About The Electrostatic Force

Electrostatic Force is a force so it is measured in Newtons.
Electrostatic Force is a non-contact force because it can act without objects touching.
A positively charged and negatively charged object will be attracted to each other.
Two negatively charged objects repel each other.
Two positively charged objects repel each other.
The electrostatic force is what holds ions together in an ionic bond.
Protons in the nucleus experience the electrostatic force of repulsion and in order for fusion to occur protons must have enough energy to overcome this force of repulsion.

References

AQA

Electrostatic forces, page 119, GCSE Physics, Hodder, AQA
Electrostatic forces, pages 209, GCSE Combined Science Trilogy 2, Hodder, AQA

Edexcel

Electrostatic forces, page 178, GCSE Combined Science, Pearson Edexcel
Electrostatic forces, page 34, GCSE Chemistry, Pearson, Edexcel

OCR

Electrostatic forces, pages 23, 59, 60, 66, Gateway GCSE Chemistry, Oxford, OCR
Electrostatics, pages 94-95, Gateway GCSE Physics, Oxford, OCR