how do like electric chares react to each other?
Like charges (both +, or both -) repel each other.
Unlike charges attract each other.
To understand how electric charges react to each other, we can refer to the fundamental principles of electrostatics. According to Coulomb's Law, the force between two electric charges is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
If two charges have the same sign, whether they are both positive or both negative, they are considered "like charges." Like charges repel each other, which means they exert a force pushing them away from one another. This repulsion arises due to the interaction of the electric fields surrounding the charges.
On the other hand, if two charges have opposite signs, one positive and one negative, they are considered "unlike charges" or "opposite charges." Unlike charges attract each other, meaning they exert a force pulling them towards one another. The electric fields around these charges interact in a way that causes this attractive force.
To summarize:
- Like charges (both positive or both negative) repel each other.
- Unlike charges (a positive and a negative) attract each other.
Understanding these principles allows us to predict and explain how electric charges interact with each other.