Re: What factors affect the strength of the force exerted by an electrically

The force between two charged objects is given by the product of the two 
charges divided by the square of the distance between them,
F~qq'/r^2, which is called Coulomb's law.  If only one of the objects is 
charged, as when a charged object attracts bits of paper, the charged 
object can polarize the neutral object.  Then the force depends on the 
square of the charge divided by the distance to the fifth power, 
F~-q^2/r^5.  This polarization force is always attractive.