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To answer this question, let's analyze Coulomb's Law:

**Coulomb's Law** states:
\[
F = k \frac{|q_1 \cdot q_2|}{r^2}
\]
where:
- \( F \) is the electrostatic force between two charges,
- \( k \) is Coulomb's constant (\( 8.99 \times 10^9 \, \text{N} \cdot \text{m}^2/\text{C}^2 \)),
- \( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \) are the magnitudes of the two charges,
- \( r \) is the distance between the charges.

### Analysis of Magnitude vs. Distance
In Coulomb's Law, the force \( F \) is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges (\( q_1 \) and \( q_2 \)) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them (\( r^2 \)).

This inverse-square relationship with distance means that as the distance \( r \) increases, the force \( F \) decreases **exponentially** (since \( F \propto \frac{1}{r^2} \)). In contrast, if we only change the magnitude of the charges, the force changes linearly (since \( F \propto q_1 \cdot q_2 \)).

**Conclusion**: The distance \( r \) between charges has a more significant effect on the force than the magnitudes of the charges because the force decreases rapidly with even small increases in distance due to the \( r^2 \) term. 

Would you like more details on any part of Coulomb's Law? Here are some related questions that might deepen understanding:

1. What happens to the force if the distance between charges doubles?
2. How does the force change if both charges are doubled?
3. Can Coulomb's Law apply to forces in three-dimensional space?
4. How would Coulomb's Law change if we placed the charges in a medium other than a vacuum?
5. Why does Coulomb’s Law use the square of the distance rather than just the distance?

**Tip**: When calculating forces using Coulomb’s Law, always pay careful attention to units, especially for distance, as small values can greatly amplify the force due to the inverse-square relationship.

What matters more: the magnitude of the charges or the distance between charges? Use Coulomb’s Law to support your claim.

Explore how Coulomb’s Law explains the impact of charge magnitude and distance on the electrostatic force between charges. This problem demonstrates the inverse-square relationship with distance and the direct proportionality to charge magnitude, ideal for high school physics students.

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