Which of the following statements is correct about the effect of the presence of a third charge on Coulomb force between the two charges?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → The Coulomb force between the two charges does not depend upon the presence of a third charge.
By the principle of superposition, the force between two charges is determined by those two charges and their separation alone. A third charge adds its own forces on each of them, and the net force on a charge is the vector sum, but the force between the original pair does not change.
NCERT (2026-27):
Forces Between Multiple Charges – “… Experimentally, it is verified that force on any charge due to a number of other charges is the vector sum of all the forces on that charge due to the other charges, taken one at a time. The individual forces are unaffected due to the presence of other charges. This is termed as the principle of superposition.”