How will the force of interaction between two charged bodies change if the air separating them

How will the force of interaction between two charged bodies change if the air separating them is replaced with distilled water?

The force of interaction between charges is determined by the Coulomb law:

F = (1 / 4πε0ε) * (q1q2 / r2),

where ε0 is the electrical constant,

ε is the dielectric constant of the medium

q1, q2 – interacting charges,

r is the distance between charges.

For vacuum ε = 1. For air, the dielectric constant ε is almost equal to unity. For distilled water ε = 81.

In the formula of Coulomb’s law, ε is in the denominator, therefore, with the same values ​​of charges and the same distance, the force of interaction of charges in water will be 81 times less than in air.

Answer: The force of interaction of charges in water will decrease 81 times.