Charles-Augustin de Coulomb (1736–1806) was a French physicist renowned for his contributions to electromagnetism and mechanics. His eponymous Coulomb’s Law established the quantitative relationship between electric charges and the force they exert on each other, a fundamental principle in electromagnetism. This law states that the force between two point charges is proportional to the product of their charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Coulomb also developed Coulomb’s friction law, describing the force of friction between solid surfaces. His research extended to torsion balance experiments, used to measure the electrostatic force between charged objects. Coulomb’s work laid the groundwork for modern physics and engineering, profoundly influencing the study and application of electricity and magnetism. His legacy endures through the naming of the SI unit of electric charge, the coulomb (C), in his honor.
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb Quotes
1. “On graduating from school, a studious young man who would withstand the tedium and monotony of his duties has no choice but to lose himself in some branch of science or literature completely irrelevant to his assignment.”
— Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
2. “Intellectual men who quickly wolf down whatever nourishment is necessary for their bodies with a kind of disdain, may be very rational and have a noble intelligence, but they are not men of taste.”
— Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
