Practice question · Select all that apply
Select every statement that is TRUE of the electric force compared with gravity.
Hints
- Compare the two laws term by term: the distance dependence, the product of sources, and the possible signs.
- Only one of the two forces has a choice of sign.
Show the answer
- A. Both are proportional to the product of the two sources
- B. Both fall off as the inverse square of the distance
- D. The electric force can be attractive or repulsive
- E. The electric force is vastly stronger than gravity for typical particles
Why
The two laws share their mathematical shape entirely — inverse square, proportional to the product of the sources — but differ in strength and in sign. Ordinary mass only ever attracts, whereas charge comes in two signs, and that difference is what makes electronics possible.
Practise Electric Charge and Fields
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