True or false: the superposition principle

Exercise and reference answers

Questions

1. Statement is true

   Yes

   Statement

   The force between two charges is unaffected by a third charge.

2. Statement is true

   Yes

   Statement

   The net force on a charge is the vector sum of the pairwise forces.

3. Statement is true

   No

   Statement

   Forces should be added as plain numbers, ignoring direction.

4. Statement is true

   Yes

   Statement

   Each pairwise force is still given by Coulomb's law.

5. Statement is true

   Yes

   Statement

   The electric field also obeys superposition.

Explanation