Which statement correctly describes the basic electrostatic interactions between charges?

Which statement correctly describes the basic electrostatic interactions between charges?

• A. All charges attract
• B. Like charges attract; opposite charges repel
• C. Charges do not interact
• D. Opposite charges attract; like charges repel

Answer: (D)

Electric charges interact through an electric force that depends on the sign of the charges. The basic rule is that opposite charges attract each other, while charges with the same sign repel each other. This happens because the electric field created by one charge pulls on a charge of opposite sign toward it and pushes away a charge of the same sign. Coulomb’s law describes this idea quantitatively: stronger charges and shorter distances produce stronger forces, and the direction of the force is along the line between the charges, toward attraction for opposite signs and away for like signs. So, the statement that opposite charges attract and like charges repel matches what we observe about how charges interact. The other ideas—such as all charges attracting or charges not interacting—don’t fit the observed behavior of electrical forces.

Electric charges interact through an electric force that depends on the sign of the charges. The basic rule is that opposite charges attract each other, while charges with the same sign repel each other. This happens because the electric field created by one charge pulls on a charge of opposite sign toward it and pushes away a charge of the same sign. Coulomb’s law describes this idea quantitatively: stronger charges and shorter distances produce stronger forces, and the direction of the force is along the line between the charges, toward attraction for opposite signs and away for like signs. So, the statement that opposite charges attract and like charges repel matches what we observe about how charges interact. The other ideas—such as all charges attracting or charges not interacting—don’t fit the observed behavior of electrical forces.