Outside a spherically symmetric charged object, the field magnitude varies as which power of distance?
AThe inverse cube
BThe direct cube
CThe inverse square
DThe direct square
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. The inverse square
1. The distance dependence of the field follows a specific power law.
2. The electric field outside a spherically symmetric charged object is radial.
3. Its magnitude varies as the inverse square of the radial distance.
4. That distance is measured from the centre of the object.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 18 'Electric Charge and Electric Field', sections 18.1-18.8_
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