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Why does electrostatic force depend on medium as in the formula of electrostatic force the $k$ constant is inversely proportional to permittivity and permittivity changes from medium to medium?

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  • $\begingroup$ Please clarify the situation you're asking about. The force between what two sorts of things? And further, to me it looks like you've answered your own question - the electrostatic force depends on the medium, as predicted by the coulomb force law, which starts with $1/4\pi\varepsilon$, and $\varepsilon$ depends on the medium. Isn't that the reason electrostatic force depends on the medium? Some more detail on what conceptual issue you want described would help. $\endgroup$
    – AXensen
    Commented Apr 12, 2023 at 16:18
  • $\begingroup$ By force I was refering to the electrostatic force between any 2 particle in a medium and I don't get how medium can influence field $\endgroup$
    – ayu
    Commented Apr 14, 2023 at 2:07

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The force does not depend on the medium, but the field from free charges does.

The medium polarizes (atoms get an electric dipole moment), and at the boundaries that leaves charge on the surfaces which screen the field due to free charges.

If you account for all charges, then you can just use Maxwell's eq. with $\epsilon_0$, but it is simpler to include the additional electric field from polarization (divergence) in the displacement field and use $\epsilon$.

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  • $\begingroup$ actually i didn't get all the thing you said but i think it's right $\endgroup$
    – ayu
    Commented Apr 12, 2023 at 16:05

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