Why do Like Charges Attract in Physics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the phenomenon of attraction between charged bodies, specifically focusing on whether like charges can attract under certain conditions. Participants explore the implications of charge polarization and the behavior of charged particles versus larger charged bodies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the validity of the claim that a body with a slight negative charge can be attracted to another body with a significantly higher negative charge, seeking clarification on whether this applies to both bodies and charged particles.
  • Another participant explains that if the slightly charged object is a conductor, the displacement of electrons due to repulsion can lead to a net attractive force towards the more negatively charged object, referencing charge polarization.
  • A different participant notes that materials are typically neutral but can become polarized in an external electric field, leading to one end being more negatively charged, which can then attract another body with the same polarity of net charge.
  • This same participant asserts that two bodies composed entirely of like charges, such as electrons, would always repel each other, emphasizing that attraction occurs only between opposite charges.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the attraction of like charges, with some supporting the idea of attraction through polarization while others maintain that like charges repel. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the initial claim about attraction between like charges.

Contextual Notes

There are unresolved assumptions about the conditions under which charge polarization occurs and the nature of the charged bodies discussed. The implications of these assumptions on the overall understanding of charge interactions are not fully explored.

Mr Virtual
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Hi
My physics teacher told me that if there is one body that has a slight negative charge, and if there is another body that has an extremely high value of negative charge, then the more-negatively charged body will attract the other one. Even our physics book states this fact. Can anyone explain this?
Is this phenomenon true only in case of a body, or also in case of charged particles (like saying that a huge group of electrons will attract a single electron, because it has lower value of negative charge. Well, atleast to me, it sounds insane).

regards
Mr V
 
Last edited:
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Imagine that the slightly charged object is a conductor. Electrons in that conductor will be repelled, thus displaced further from the other charged object. Since the positive charges are closer, there will be a net attractive force. (Look up charge polarization.)
 
Admin note: edited thread title.

- Warren
 
Thanks for the editing.
 
As Doc Al says, normal materials are made up of many positive and negative charges rather thoroughly mixed together to make them approximately neutral. If you apply an external field, the charges in the body will migrate as much as they can to opposite ends of the body. Thus, an originally neutral body can be polarized, so that one end is more negatively charged than the other.

The polarized body can then be attracted to another body with the same polarity of net charge.

This is still an example of opposite charges attracting, though. Consider a single electron and another "ball" of electrons (nevermind how such a thing could be made). These two "bodies" would always repel, no matter what, because they have no positive charges within them at all.

- Warren
 
And thanks for the explanation. That clears it up!
I will delete the note in my post.

regards
Mr V
 

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