Question

Give two similarities and at least two differences between the universal gravitational force discovered by Newton, and the electrical force discovered by Coulomb

Answer 1

Two Similarities Between both forces

A. Both forces are proportional to the inverse of the square of separation between two objects.

B. Both forces extend to infinity (till distance between objects is infinity.)

C. Both forces are conservative force, meaning work done by these forces does not depend on the path followed.

Two differences Between both forces

A. While gravitational force is only attractive force, Electrostatic force can be attractive or repulsive.

B. Gravitational force is due to the mass of the object, while electrostatic force is due to the charge on the object.

C. Gravitational force is very weak in comparison with electrostatic force.

Fg = Gm1m2/R^2

Fe = kq1q2/R^2