Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => Undergraduate General Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: Eric_Zhang on September 19, 2022, 09:17:53 PM
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In other words, how should one interpreate the relationship between potential energy and force between two charges?
btw the version of coloumb's law we learned in undergrad chem is kq1q1/r, while in Physics it's usually kq1q2/r^2.
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k q1q2/r is the potential energy, whereas k q1q2/r^2 is the Coloumb force. Two different quantities.
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Why do you think the interpretation should be different? Chemistry is just applied physics, so any use of Coulomb's Law in chemistry is ultimately a use in physics as well.
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By differentiating the energy (1/R) over the distance, you get the force (1/R2).