Britannica Sources used in this answer

How does the amount of charge on two objects affect the electric force between them?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

The science behind static electricity — electricity Explanation of static electricity and its manifestations in everyday life.

The relationship between the amount of charge on two objects and the electric force between them is described by Coulomb’s law. According to this law, the magnitude of the electric force is directly proportional to the product of the values of the two charges.12

Specifically, if the amount of charge on either object increases, the electric force between them increases proportionally. Conversely, if the charges are reduced, the force decreases. For example, if both charges were reduced by one-half, the resulting force of attraction or repulsion would be reduced to one-quarter of its original value.12

While the magnitude of the force is determined by the product of the charges, the sign of the charges determines the nature of the interaction: like charges repel one another, while opposite charges attract.132