What happens to charges of the same type?

• A. Attract
• B. Repel
• C. Neutralize
• D. Attach

Answer: (B)

Like charges push away from each other. In electrostatics, every charge creates an electric field, and another charge placed in that field experiences a force. If the two charges have the same sign, the force acts to repel them—their separation grows because the field drives them apart. The strength of this repulsion grows with the size of the charges and with how close they are, and it weakens as they move farther apart. A helpful mental model is to picture two identical magnets with the same pole facing each other: they push away. This rule—like charges repel—not only underpins basic physics but also explains many practical effects in metalworking and finishing processes where static charges influence how particles distribute or cling to surfaces.