If two objects are electrically attracted to each other, both objects must be negatively charged. If both objects are positively charged, one object must be charged. The objects could be electrically charged and the other object must be electrically neutral. None of the above statements are absolutely true.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is C: one object must be negatively charged and the other object must be positively charged.
Electrical attraction arises due to the interaction between opposite electric charges. According to Coulomb’s law, two charges exert a force on each other that is directly proportional to the product of their magnitudes and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This force is attractive when the charges are opposite in sign and repulsive when the charges are the same.
If both objects are negatively charged, they repel each other, not attract. Likewise, if both are positively charged, they also experience repulsion. These outcomes invalidate statements A and B.
A neutral object, which contains an equal number of positive and negative charges, does not exert a net electrostatic force in a vacuum. While a charged object can induce a dipole in a neutral one, resulting in a weak attraction, this is not the same as a direct electrostatic attraction caused by opposite net charges. So while statement D might be tempting, it describes a different physical phenomenon. For two objects to be electrostatically attracted in the purest and most direct sense, they must possess opposite charges.
As a result, the only always-true condition for electrostatic attraction is when one object is positively charged and the other is negatively charged. This principle underlies many physical and chemical interactions, such as the attraction between ions of opposite charges in ionic bonds or the behavior of charged particles in electric fields.
Statement E claims none of the above statements are absolutely true, but that is incorrect because statement C is indeed universally valid under the framework of classical electrostatics. Therefore, the answer that is always true is C. This choice best reflects the fundamental principles governing electrical attraction.
