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The Daily Insight Hub

What happens when like charges are near each other?

Author

Andrew Campbell

Updated on February 09, 2026

In contrast to the attractive force between two objects with opposite charges, two objects that are of like charge will repel each other. That is, a positively charged object will exert a repulsive force upon a second positively charged object. Objects with like charge repel each other.

Can like charges attract each other?

When it comes to electric charge, there is one overriding theme: opposites attract, and like charges repel. But in a new study, physicists have made the surprising discovery that two spherical like-charged metal nanoparticles with unequal charges can attract one another in a dilute electrolyte solution.

Where does work go when two positive charges are brought together?

If the electric field is bringing opposite charges together the electric field is doing positive work on each causing each to lose potential energy and gain kinetic energy. The force the field applies to each charge is in the same direction as their displacement.

When an object is positively charged it has more?

A positively charged object has more protons than electrons. A negatively charged object has more electrons than protons.

Can 2 similarly charged balls attract each other?

Answer: they can attract each other when one of them is very very large than the other then the electrostatic force acting on the two is not due to their initial charges but will be due to the charges produced due to induction. and hence attraction takes place. it is a very rare phenomenon..

Can 2 balls having the same kind of charge attract each other?

No two balls carrying the same charge will never attract each other.

What happens if two positive charges come together?

If two positive charges interact, their forces are directed against each other. (The same occurs with two negative charges, because their respective forces also act in opposite directions.) The electric field and resulting forces produced by two electrical charges of the same polarity. The two charges repel each other.

What will happen if two charges of the same type are brought close together?

When two positively charged objects are brought near each other, a similar repulsive force is produced. When a negatively charged object is brought near a positively charged object, an attractive force is produced.

Why do positive charges not move?

conductors consists of atoms , which are made up of positive and negative charges , positive charges will not move , they stay in their places, the negative charges (electrons) will move due to repulsion. this is how they conduct.

How does a body becomes positively charged?

Because electrons have a negative charge, when they are added to an object, it becomes negatively charged. When electrons are removed from an object, it becomes positively charged.

What happens when two like charges are brought?

In most nuclei (except Hydrogen) there are likewise charged particles very close: the protons. There is a short ranged force that keeps all together. if the distance goes to zero, repellent forces would go to infinity. You will thus need a stronger force to overcome repellent forces. If not, the particles simply will not come closer together.

What happens when two electrically charged objects are near each other?

When unlike charges are near each other unlike charges attract electric force. Two electrically charged objects are brought near each other and then released. The objects stick to one another. Describe the possible charge of each object. One is a negative and one is a positive. because opposites attract.

How are positive and negative charges related to each other?

These two types of electrical charges – positive and negative – are said to be opposite types of charge. And consistent with our fundamental principle of charge interaction, a positively charged object will attract a negatively charged object.

How are charge interactions different from attraction interactions?

Charge Interactions. In contrast to the attractive force between two objects with opposite charges, two objects that are of like charge will repel each other. That is, a positively charged object will exert a repulsive force upon a second positively charged object. This repulsive force will push the two objects apart.