Question

Which of the following statements are not true?
This question has multiple correct options
A. All charges at rest tend to move from higher electric potential to lower electric potential.
B. All charges at rest tend to move from lower electric potential to higher electric potential.
C. Positive charges at rest tend to move from lower electric potential to higher electric potential and negative charges at rest tend to move from higher electric potential to lower electric potential.
D. Positive charges at rest tend to move from higher potential to lower potential and negative charges at rest tend to move from lower electric potential to higher potential

Answer 1

Firstly you could consider an example that you have come across based on this movement of negative and positive charges. You could use this example as a justification to your answer. Then you could carefully read the given statements and thus find the correct statement among them.

Complete answer:
In the question, we are discussing the movement of positive and negative charges at rest. This could be easily explained by using a cell connected in a circuit. We know that the positive terminal of the cell has higher potential and the negative terminal has lower potential. We know that conventional current which is the direction of flow of positive charge is directed from positive terminal to negative terminal and the negative charges (electrons) flow from negative terminal to positive. Clearly, we found that the Positive charges at rest tend to move from higher potential to lower potential and negative charges at rest tend to move from lower electric potential to higher potential.

Hence, option D is found to be the right answer.

Additional information:
It is worthwhile to mention here that in a circuit the positive charges don’t actually move. They actually stay put with their non moving atoms and the current is here just due to the flow of electrons. However, in the case of liquid and gaseous substances like water, air etc, positive ions (lack enough electrons to make them neutral) do physically move.

Note:
We know attraction between opposite charges is a well established fact. This is the reason behind negatively charged electrons flowing towards the positive terminal of the cell. As there is no movement for positive charges (protons) here, they have no effect on electric current and the magnetic field in this case.