If opposite charges attract, which pair would attract?

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Multiple Choice

If opposite charges attract, which pair would attract?

Opposite charges attract because their electric fields pull toward each other. According to Coulomb’s law, the force between two charges is proportional to the product of their charges; when the signs are opposite, this product is negative, which corresponds to an attractive force. Therefore, a positive charge and a negative charge will attract each other. Two charges with the same sign repel, and a neutral object has no net charge to produce a direct Coulomb attraction in the simple sense.

Opposite charges attract because their electric fields pull toward each other. According to Coulomb’s law, the force between two charges is proportional to the product of their charges; when the signs are opposite, this product is negative, which corresponds to an attractive force. Therefore, a positive charge and a negative charge will attract each other. Two charges with the same sign repel, and a neutral object has no net charge to produce a direct Coulomb attraction in the simple sense.

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