What would make oppositely charged objects attract each other more?
A. Increasing the positive charge of the positively charged object and increasing the negative charge of the negatively charged object
B. Decreasing the positive charge of the positively charged object and decreasing the negative charge of the negatively charged object
C. Increasing the distance between the positively charged object and the negatively charged object
D. Maintaining the distance between the positively charged object and the negatively charged object
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is:
A. Increasing the positive charge of the positively charged object and increasing the negative charge of the negatively charged object.
Explanation:
Oppositely charged objects attract each other due to the electric force, which is governed by Coulomb’s Law. According to this law, the force (( F )) between two charged objects is directly proportional to the product of their charges (( q_1 ) and ( q_2 )) and inversely proportional to the square of the distance (( r )) between them. Mathematically, Coulomb’s Law is expressed as:
[
F = k \frac{{|q_1 \cdot q_2|}}{{r^2}}
]
where:
- ( F ) is the magnitude of the electric force between the objects,
- ( k ) is Coulomb’s constant (approximately ( 8.99 \times 10^9 \, \text{N m}^2/\text{C}^2 )),
- ( q_1 ) and ( q_2 ) are the magnitudes of the charges on the objects,
- ( r ) is the distance between the centers of the two charges.
In this scenario:
- Increasing the positive charge on one object and the negative charge on the other (Option A) leads to a greater product of ( q_1 ) and ( q_2 ), which increases the attractive force. This is because the electric force grows stronger as the product of the charges increases.
- Decreasing the charges on both objects (Option B) would have the opposite effect, weakening the attraction since the product of ( q_1 ) and ( q_2 ) would be smaller.
- Increasing the distance (Option C) would weaken the attraction because the force decreases with the square of the distance. Doubling the distance, for example, would reduce the force to one-fourth of its original strength.
- Maintaining the same distance (Option D) would not affect the force between the objects if the charges remain constant.
Therefore, Option A is correct because increasing the magnitude of both charges directly increases the force of attraction between them according to Coulomb’s Law. This principle is fundamental in understanding electrostatic interactions in physics and is applicable in a variety of real-world contexts, from atomic interactions to engineering electrostatic devices.