Question

Assertion: Two similarly charged bodies may attract each other.
Reason: When charge on one body (Q) is much greater than that on another (q) and they are close enough to each other, then force of attraction between Q and induced charges exceeds the force of repulsion between Q and q.

Answer 1

Hint: As we know that the charges will attract each other if they are oppositely charged and the charges will repel each other when similarly charged. However as there are different characteristics come into the picture at different configurations. We can actually have exceptions over these obvious situations.


Complete step-by-step solution:
 As there are two charged bodies given in the question. Consider two bodies be Q and q charged with different polarity. They will attract each other as stated by Coulomb's law of forces and strength will depend upon distance between them.
If they are charged with the same polarity they will repel each other. But, we can draw an exception for this by changing the distance.
As the given reason states if Q is greater than the charge q and placed very close the attraction actually has more strength than the repulsion.
As Q induces a charge on q which is placed near Q with opposite polarity. This induced charge will be more than the charge q so the force of attraction at smaller distances take over the repulsion between similar charges.
Hence, for our answer we can say.
Assertion is true and the reason in correct explanation of Assertion.

Note: Induced charge is the charge obtained on an object placed close to an already charged object without touching it. Among the four fundamentally existing forces if we analyze each one we can have the results on their strength. Gravitational force is weakest followed by weak nuclear and electromagnetic forces and the strongest is Nuclear force between quarks.