Electrostatic Force - GCSE Chemistry Definition

Reviewed by: Richard Boole

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Electrostatic force is the force that acts between charged objects or particles. An electrostatic force is the one that keeps the electrons around the nucleus of an atom. The electrons are negatively charged and are attracted to the nucleus of the atom, which is positively charged. Another example is when you rub a balloon on your hair and feel it stick. This force can either pull objects together or push them apart, depending on their charge. If two objects have the same type of charge, like both being negative, they will repel each other, or push away. If they have opposite charges, like positive and negative, they will attract or pull towards each other. Understanding electrostatic force helps explain why atoms stick together to form molecules and is a key concept in GCSE Chemistry.

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Richard Boole

Reviewer: Richard Boole

Expertise: Chemistry Content Creator

Richard has taught Chemistry for over 15 years as well as working as a science tutor, examiner, content creator and author. He wasn’t the greatest at exams and only discovered how to revise in his final year at university. That knowledge made him want to help students learn how to revise, challenge them to think about what they actually know and hopefully succeed; so here he is, happily, at SME.

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