What happens to like charges according to Coulomb's Law?

Coulomb's Law describes the interaction between charged particles, specifically how their electric charges influence the force exerted between them. According to this law, like charges—such as two positively charged particles or two negatively charged particles—experience a force that causes them to repel each other. This repulsive force acts along the line that connects the two charges and increases in strength as the distance between the charges decreases.

The fundamental principle behind this behavior is rooted in the concept of electric fields and the nature of similarity in charge. Because like charges share the same type of charge, their electric fields interfere with one another in such a way that they push away from each other. This is a core principle of electrostatics and can be observed in various contexts, such as the behavior of charged balloons or static electricity in everyday situations.

In contrast, unlike charges attract each other, and neutral charges do not exert a force on each other in the same manner. Understanding these interactions is essential in fields like physics and engineering, especially when studying the behavior of particles in electric and magnetic fields.