Concept:
This question refers to Coulomb's Law, which quantifies the amount of force between two stationary, electrically charged particles.
• Inverse Square Law: The force is inversely proportional to the square of the separation distance.
• Direct Proportion: The force depends directly on the magnitude of the charges involved.
• Medium Dependence: The force is affected by the permittivity of the surrounding medium.
Step 1: Analyze the mathematical form of Coulomb's Law.
The law is expressed as:
\[ F = k \frac{q_1 q_2}{r^2} \]
Where \(F\) is the force, \(q_1\) and \(q_2\) are the magnitudes of the charges, and \(r\) is the distance between them.
Step 2: Identify the correct proportionality.
From the formula, we see:
- \(F \propto q_1 q_2\) (Directly proportional to the product of the charges).
- \(F \propto 1/r^2\) (Inversely proportional to the square of the distance).
Therefore, Option (E) is the only correct statement regarding direct proportionality.