**Assertion (A):** When two charged capacitors are connected, the total energy of the system decreases. **Reason (R):** Some energy is dissipated as heat and electromagnetic radiation during charge redistribution.

**Assertion (A):** Two field lines can never intersect in free space. **Reason (R):** At any point, the electric field has a unique direction.

**Assertion (A):** Inserting a dielectric always increases the capacitance. **Reason (R):** The dielectric reduces the effective electric field between the plates by setting up a polarization field opposing the original field.

**Assertion (A):** The electric potential due to a point charge is the same on a spherical surface centered on the charge. **Reason (R):** All points on a sphere centered on a point charge are at the same distance from the charge.

**Assertion (A):** A solid conducting sphere and a solid insulating sphere of the same radius R and same total charge Q have the same electric field at r = 2R. **Reason (R):** For r > R, both distributions look like a point charge from outside.