Is Coulomb's law consistent with Newton's Third Law? In particular, how do
F^elec A-->B and F^elec B--->A compare in magnitude? in direction?
Yes, Coulomb's law is consistent with Newton's Third Law. Newton's Third Law states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In the context of electrostatic forces, Coulomb's law describes the interaction between two charged objects.
According to Coulomb's law, the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two charged objects is given by the equation F^elec = (k * |q1 * q2|) / r^2, where F^elec is the electrostatic force, k is the electrostatic constant, q1 and q2 are the magnitudes of the charges on the objects, and r is the distance between the centers of the objects.
Now, let's consider two charged objects A and B. The force on object A due to object B, F^elec A-->B, will have the same magnitude as the force on object B due to object A, F^elec B-->A. This is because the magnitudes of the charges (|q1| and |q2|) and the distance between the objects (r) are the same in both cases.
However, the direction of the forces will be opposite. According to Newton's Third Law, the force on object A due to object B, F^elec A-->B, will be in the direction away from object B, while the force on object B due to object A, F^elec B-->A, will be in the direction away from object A. This is because the forces are attractive or repulsive depending on the nature of the charges.
In summary, Coulomb's law is consistent with Newton's Third Law. The magnitudes of the electrostatic forces are the same between two charged objects, but the forces act in opposite directions.