ATOM AND ITS FORCES
Basic Electrical Theory
Charged objects repel or attract each other because of the way these fields act together. This
force is present with every charged object. When two objects of opposite charge are brought
near one another, the electrostatic field is concentrated in the area between them, as shown in
Figure 5. The direction of the small arrows shows the direction of the force as it would act upon
an electron if it were released into the electric field.
When two objects of like charge are brought near one another, the lines of force repel each other,
Figure 5 Electrostatic Field Between Two Charges of Opposite Polarity
as shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 Electrostatic Field Between Two Charges of Like Polarity
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