Question

A student observes interactions between two sets of electrically charged objects. In each set, the objects carry either a charge of –1 or +1 Coulomb. Which question can the student ask to identify the set with the stronger interaction?(1 point)
Responses

How large are the objects in each set?
How large are the objects in each set?

What is the mass of each object in the interactions?
What is the mass of each object in the interactions?

How far apart are the objects in each interaction?
How far apart are the objects in each interaction?

Are the objects both positively charged or both negatively charged?

Answer 1

To identify the set with the stronger interaction between the two electrically charged objects, the student should focus on the charges and their configuration. The relevant question to ask is:

**"How far apart are the objects in each interaction?"**

This is because the strength of the electrostatic force between charged objects is described by Coulomb's law, which states that the force between two charges is directly proportional to the product of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

The other options (size, mass, charge type) may provide interesting information but do not directly relate to the strength of the interaction as fundamentally as the distance does.