When two like-charged bodies are brought together, their fields will work to do what?

When two like-charged bodies are brought together, their electric fields interact in such a way that they repel each other. This phenomenon is a fundamental principle of electrostatics: like charges (both positive or both negative) will always exert a repulsive force on each other due to their electric fields.

The electric field created by a charged object extends into the space around it, and when a second like-charged object enters this field, the force between the two objects pushes them apart. This repulsive force can be understood through Coulomb's law, which states that the force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. Hence, as the charges are of the same kind (both positive or both negative), they experience this repulsion, making bringing them together energetically unfavorable.

In contrast, opposite charges attract each other, and neutral or similar charges do not maintain interactions strong enough to prompt movement in the same way. Thus, when like charges come near each other, the result is a repelling force that drives them apart.