What happens when two like-charged objects are brought together?

When two like-charged objects are brought together, they repel each other. This is a fundamental principle of electrostatics, which tells us that objects with the same type of electric charge—either positive or negative—experience a force pushing them away from one another.

The underlying reason for this behavior lies in the interaction of electric fields produced by the charges. Each charged object creates an electric field around itself, and when two like charges meet, their electric fields interact in such a way that they push each other apart. This repulsive force increases as the charges get closer, demonstrating that like charges exert a force that causes them to separate rather than come together.

Understanding this concept also clarifies why the other answers are not accurate. For instance, like-charged objects do not attract each other, nor do they neutralize or leave each other unaffected when brought close together. The principles of charge interactions are foundational in physics and help explain a wide range of phenomena in electricity and magnetism.