Three objects are brought close to one another, two at a time. When objects A and B are brought together, they attract. When objects B and C are brought together, they repel. Which of the following are necessarily true?
Correct answer: B. Objects A and C possess charges of opposite sign
- A. Objects A and C possess charges of the same sign
- B. Objects A and C possess charges of opposite sign
- C. All three objects possess charges of the same sign
- D. Additional experiments must be performed to determine information about the charges on the objects
Explanation
The key to solving this problem lies in understanding the fundamental electrostatic principle that like charges repel and opposite charges attract. Objects A and B attract, indicating they have opposite charges. Objects B and C repel, indicating they have the same charge. Therefore, Objects A and C must have opposite charges. Option A is incorrect because if A and C had the same sign, they would repel each other. Option C is incorrect because if all three had the same sign, they would all repel each other, which contradicts the given interactions. Option D is unnecessary because the provided interactions already offer enough information to determine the charge relationships.
Report an error
The more specific you are, the faster it gets fixed. A source beats an opinion.
Prefer email? [email protected]
About Electrostatics
Electrostatics describes forces between charges through Coulomb's law, electric fields and field intensity, then uses electric potential to measure energy per unit charge. Capacitors store charge and electrical energy, with capacitance depending on geometry and dielectric material, not simply on the amount of charge present.
Practise Electrostatics
831 free Electrostatics MCQs from Physics, each with the correct answer and an explanation. Unlimited attempts, no account needed.
Discussion
Stuck on an option, or know a faster way to get there? Ask or explain it here.
No comments yet. Be the first to explain this one.
Exams that ask Physics questions like this
Physics is on 16 papers prepared for on TestUstad, and all of them draw the same bank, so this question is worth knowing for every one of them.
More Electrostatics questions
Many computer keyboard buttons are constructed using capacitors. When a key is pushed down, the soft insulator between the movable plate and the fixed plate is compressed. When the key is pressed, what happens to the capacitance?
The value of permittivity of material, other than air or space is:
A capacitor can store its energy in its:
The capacitance of a capacitor is a measure of its ability to:
According to coulomb's law, the electrostatic forces of attraction between electron and nucleus are _ to its square of the radius.
Three objects are brought close to each other, two at a time. When objects A and B are brought together, they repel. When objects B and C are brought together, they also repel. Which of the following is true?