Physics – 4.2.1 Electric charge | e-Consult

Explanation: Electric charges come in two types: positive and negative. Like charges – either two positive charges or two negative charges – experience a force that pushes them away from each other. This is known as repulsion.

This happens because like charges create electric fields that are oriented in the same direction. When two positive charges are near each other, their electric fields push them apart. Similarly, two negative charges create electric fields that push them apart.

Conversely, opposite charges – a positive and a negative charge – experience a force that pulls them together. This is known as attraction.

This occurs because the electric field created by a positive charge points towards a negative charge, and vice versa. The fields effectively 'link' the charges, causing them to move towards each other.