Which of the following is true about Coulomb’s law?

The correct answer is Option (4) → Neither (1) nor (2)

Coulomb’s law gives the force between two point charges, \( F=k\,|q_1q_2|/r^{2} \). A charged body counts as a point charge only when its size is much smaller than its distance from the other charge.

Option (1) It is valid only for like charges. — Incorrect. The same law holds for unlike charges. The sign of \( q_1q_2 \) only decides whether the force is a repulsion or an attraction.

Option (2) It is valid for point charges as well as large charged bodies. — Incorrect. For large bodies close together, the charge is spread out. There is no single distance \( r \) between the charges, so the law does not apply to them directly.

Option (4) Neither (1) nor (2) — Correct. Statement (1) fails because the law covers like and unlike charges alike, and statement (2) fails because it holds only for point charges.

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.”

Coulomb’s Law – “… is valid for any sign of q₁ and q₂ whether positive or negative. … Thus, we do not have to write separate equations for the cases of like and unlike charges.”