Practice question · Multiple choice
Coulomb's law and Newton's gravitation share the inverse-square form, yet gravity dominates at astronomical scales while electromagnetism dominates everywhere else. Why?
Hints
- Compare the two forces between a proton and an electron.
- Ask why the table you are sitting at is not electrically attracting or repelling you.
Show the answer
D. Because charge comes in two signs that cancel, and mass in one.
Why
Between a proton and an electron the electrostatic force exceeds the gravitational by about 10³⁹, the disparity is not close. What suppresses it in bulk is cancellation, since ordinary matter holds almost exactly equal positive and negative charge, where mass has one sign and always adds. Both laws are inverse-square, so neither falls off faster; the asymmetry is entirely about cancellation.
Practise Electric Charge and Fields
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