This leads to a Coulomb force and change of momentum so small as to be zero.
But if the repulsive Coulomb force is too strong, they'll never come together in the first place.
It is this exchange of virtual photons that, for example, generates the Coulomb force.
An electron can be bound to the nucleus of an atom by the attractive Coulomb force.
My ability to do even that falls off with distance, roughly as the Coulomb force.
The electron is bound to the nucleus by the Coulomb force.
The Coulomb force can also be written in terms of an electrostatic field:
The mobile charges not only establish but also move in response to the associated Coulomb force, .
But alas the water shields the Coulomb force so well that the separation would be minute with any available battery.
This results in a relatively strong Coulomb force between molecules.