The drawing shows a student holding two negatively charged balloons.

Question

What is most likely to occur if the student brings the balloons closer to each other?

a
The magnitude of the electrostatic force between the balloons will decrease, and they will repel each other.
b
The magnitude of the electrostatic force between the balloons will increase, and they will repel each other.
c
The magnitude of the electrostatic force between the balloons will decrease, and they will attract each other.
d
The magnitude of the electrostatic force between the balloons will increase, and they will attract each other.

Answer 1

The correct option is:

b: The magnitude of the electrostatic force between the balloons will increase, and they will repel each other.

Explanation: Since both balloons are negatively charged, they will repel each other due to the electrostatic force. As they are brought closer together, the strength of the repulsive force increases, according to Coulomb's law, which states that the force between two charged objects increases as the distance between them decreases.