Question

In a science-fiction movie, a villain emits a radial electric field to repulse the hero. Knowing that the hero is electrically neutral, is this possible? Explain your reasoning.

a) Yes, because the hero is electrically neutral.

b) No, because an electric field cannot repulse neutral objects.

c) Yes, because the hero will gain charge in the presence of the electric field.

d) No, because neutral objects are immune to electric fields.

Answer 1

A villain cannot emit a radial electric field to repulse an electrically neutral hero because electric fields do not exert a net repulsive force on neutral objects which have an equal amount of positive and negative charges.

Step-by-step explanation:

The scenario described involves a villain emitting a radial electric field to repulse an electrically neutral hero. In real-world physics, electric fields exert forces on charges, influencing positive and negative charged particles to move according to the direction of the field. However, an electrically neutral body, one that has equal numbers of positive and negative charges, does not experience a net force in a uniform electric field, as the forces on the positive and negative charges cancel each other out.

Therefore, the correct answer to the question of whether a villain can emit a radial electric field to repulse the electrically neutral hero is 'b. No, because an electric field cannot repulse neutral objects.' This is based on electrostatic principles where only charged particles are affected by electric fields. Neutral objects can be affected if the electric field is non-uniform, which can induce a polarization effect, but this effect is not described as repulsion.