# Charles-Augustin de Coulomb

> French physicist (1736-1806)

**Wikidata**: [Q81716](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q81716)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Augustin_de_Coulomb)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/charles-augustin-de-coulomb

## Summary
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was a French physicist, engineer, and military officer born in 1736 and deceased in 1806. He is best known for formulating Coulomb's law, the fundamental physical law quantifying the electrostatic force between charged particles. His contributions also established key principles in mechanics and soil mechanics, leading to the naming of the SI unit of electric charge, the coulomb, in his honor.

## Biography
- **Born:** June 14, 1736
- **Nationality:** French
- **Education:** Collège des Quatre-Nations, École royale du génie de Mézières
- **Known for:** Coulomb's law, Coulomb friction, Mohr–Coulomb theory, electromagnetism, soil mechanics
- **Employer(s:** Military (as military officer and engineer), French Academy of Sciences (member)
- **Field(s):** Electromagnetism, soil mechanics

## Contributions
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb's work spans several fundamental areas of physics and engineering:
*   **Coulomb's Law:** He formulated this physical law, which states that the electric force between two point charges is directly proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
*   **Coulomb's Constant:** He defined the proportionality constant used in electrodynamics equations.
*   **Mohr–Coulomb Theory:** He developed a mathematical model used to describe the response of brittle materials to mechanical stresses and to define the shear strength of soils and rocks.
*   **Coulomb Friction:** He contributed to the understanding of friction mechanics.
*   **Coulomb Blockade:** His work underpins the concept of increased resistance at small bias voltages in electronic devices comprising at least one low-capacitance tunnel junction.
*   **Coulomb Barrier:** He identified the electrostatic energy barrier that must be overcome for nuclear reactions to occur.
*   **Standardization of Units:** The "coulomb" (SI unit of electric charge) and the "abcoulomb" (basic physical unit of electric charge in the cgs-emu system) are named after him.

## FAQs
**What is Coulomb's Law?**
Coulomb's Law is a physical law stating that the electric force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

**Where did Charles-Augustin de Coulomb receive his education?**
He attended the Collège des Quatre-Nations, an educational institution in Paris, and the École royale du génie de Mézières, a former military academy.

**What are the primary fields of study associated with Charles-Augustin de Coulomb?**
His primary fields of work include electromagnetism and soil mechanics.

**Which scientific academies was Charles-Augustin de Coulomb a member of?**
He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences, the Polish Academy of Sciences, and the Académie de Stanislas.

**What units of measurement are named after Charles-Augustin de Coulomb?**
The SI unit of electric charge, known as the coulomb, and the abcoulomb in the cgs-emu system are named after him.

## Why They Matter
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb matters because his work provided the mathematical foundation for the understanding of electricity and magnetism. By defining the precise relationship between electric charges (Coulomb's Law), he enabled the quantitative study of electromagnetism, which is central to modern physics and electrical engineering. His theories on friction and material strength (Mohr–Coulomb theory) remain essential in civil and geotechnical engineering for predicting the behavior of soils and structures. The enduring use of his name for the international standard unit of electric charge highlights the fundamental and lasting nature of his contributions to science.

## Notable For
*   Formulating **Coulomb's law**, a cornerstone of electrostatics.
*   Developing the **Mohr–Coulomb theory** for soil mechanics and material stress.
*   Identifying **Coulomb friction** in mechanical systems.
*   Defining **Coulomb's constant** in electrodynamics.
*   Discovery of the **Coulomb barrier** in nuclear physics.
*   Description of the **Coulomb blockade** in nanoelectronics.
*   The **coulomb** (SI unit) and **abcoulomb** are named in his honor.
*   Membership in the **French Academy of Sciences**, **Polish Academy of Sciences**, and **Académie de Stanislas**.
*   Career as a **military engineer** and **officer**.

## Body

### Early Life and Education
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb was born on June 14, 1736, and died on August 23, 1806. He was a French citizen, identified by the aliases Charles Augustin de Coulomb and Charles-Augustin Coulomb. His formal education was conducted at two prominent institutions: the Collège des Quatre-Nations, an educational institution located in Paris that operated from 1661 to 1793, and the École royale du génie de Mézières, a former military academy established in 1748.

### Career and Occupations
Coulomb engaged in a diverse professional career that combined scientific inquiry with military service. His occupations included:
*   **Physicist:** A scientist who conducted research in physics.
*   **Engineer:** A professional practitioner of engineering.
*   **Military Officer:** A member of an armed force who held a position of authority.
*   **Military Engineer:** A practitioner of the military vocation of engineering.
*   **Military Personnel:** An individual serving in an organized armed military force.
*   **Soldier:** A member of the armed forces.

### Scientific Affiliations
Throughout his career, Coulomb was affiliated with several learned societies and academies:
*   **French Academy of Sciences:** A learned society founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It is headquartered in Paris.
*   **Académie de Stanislas:** A learned society headquartered in Nancy, France, founded on December 28, 1750.
*   **Polish Academy of Sciences:** The national academy of sciences for Poland.

### Fields of Work and Research
Coulomb's research focused on two primary areas:
*   **Electromagnetism:** The branch of science concerned with the phenomena of electricity and magnetism.
*   **Soil Mechanics:** The branch of soil physics and applied mechanics that describes the behavior of soils.

### Key Scientific Concepts and Laws
Coulomb's name is associated with numerous fundamental concepts in physics and engineering:

**Electromagnetism and Electrostatics**
*   **Coulomb's Law:** A physical law establishing that the electric force between two point charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
*   **Coulomb's Constant:** The proportionality constant found in electrodynamics equations.
*   **Coulomb Barrier:** The electrostatic energy barrier that must be overcome for nuclear reactions to occur.
*   **Coulomb Blockade:** An phenomenon characterized by increased resistance at small bias voltages of an electronic device comprising at least one low-capacitance tunnel junction.

**Mechanics and Material Science**
*   **Coulomb Friction:** A principle describing the friction between solid surfaces.
*   **Mohr–Coulomb Theory:** A mathematical model used to describe the response of brittle materials to mechanical stresses and to define the shear strength of soils and rocks.

### Legacy and Units of Measurement
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb's impact is permanently etched into the language of science through the units of measurement named after him:
*   **Coulomb:** The SI unit of electric charge.
*   **Abcoulomb:** The basic physical unit of electric charge in the cgs-emu system of units.

## References

1. BnF authorities
2. Integrated Authority File
3. MacTutor History of Mathematics archive
4. History of strength of materials : with a brief account of the history of theory of elasticity and theory of structures
5. International Standard Name Identifier
6. Virtual International Authority File
7. CiNii Research
8. [Source](https://www.academie-stanislas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/coulomb.pdf)
9. Encyclopædia Britannica Online
10. SNAC
11. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
12. Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana
13. Proleksis Encyclopedia
14. Croatian Encyclopedia
15. La France savante
16. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
17. [Source](http://digitale.beic.it/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&vid=BEIC&vl%283134987UI0%29=creator&vl%28freeText0%29=Coulomb%20Charles%20Augustin%20de)
18. [Encyclopædia Britannica Online](https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Augustin-de-Coulomb)
19. Encyclopædia Universalis
20. [Larousse Encyclopedia online](https://www.larousse.fr/archives/grande-encyclopedie/page/3763)
21. LIBRIS. 2002