Can a charged object be made to attract another object of the same charge?

📌 CONCEPT: A charged object cannot attract another object of the same charge due to the fundamental nature of electrostatic forces.

📐 RULE / FORMULA: Like charges repel each other, whereas opposite charges attract each other. This is governed by Coulomb's Law, which states that the force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

💡 WORKED EXAMPLE: Consider two identical plastic rods, each with a charge of +q. According to Coulomb's Law, the force between the two rods will be repulsive, and they will not attract each other. However, if one of the rods is replaced with a neutral object, such as a piece of paper, the force will be attractive due to the opposing charges.

⚠️ COMMON MISTAKE: Students often mistakenly believe that like charges can attract each other under certain conditions, but this is not true. The fundamental principle of electrostatic forces remains the same, and opposite charges are always required for attraction.