Charged bodies are considered as point charges if the linear size of the charged bodies is
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Much smaller than the separation between them
Coulomb's law is stated for point charges. A real charged body can be treated as a point charge when its size does not affect the force, that is, when its linear size is much smaller than the distance to the other charge; then every part of the body is at practically the same distance from it.
NCERT (2026-27):
Coulomb’s Law – “Coulomb’s law is a quantitative statement about the force between two point charges. When the linear size of charged bodies are much smaller than the distance separating them, the size may be ignored and the charged bodies are treated as point charges.”