What is the Difference Between Coulomb’s Law and Gravitational Law?

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Coulomb's Law and Gravitational Law (Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation) are two fundamental laws in physics that describe the forces between entities with electric charges and masses, respectively. The key differences between them are:

  1. Type of force: Coulomb's Law describes the electrostatic force between two point charges, while Gravitational Law describes the force between two masses.
  2. Direction of force: In Coulomb's Law, the electrostatic force can be either positive (repulsive) or negative (attractive), depending on the signs of the charges. In contrast, the force in Gravitational Law is always attractive.
  3. Strength of force: The Coulomb force is generally stronger than the gravitational force.
  4. Formula: The formula for Coulomb's Law is $$F = k \times \frac{q1 \times q2}{r^2}$$, where $$F$$ is the force, $$k$$ is Coulomb's constant, $$q1$$ and $$q2$$ are the charges, and $$r$$ is the distance between them. On the other hand, the formula for Gravitational Law is $$F = G \times \frac{M \times m}{r}$$, where $$F$$ is the force, $$G$$ is the gravitational constant, $$M$$ and $$m$$ are the masses, and $$r$$ is the distance between them.

Comparative Table: Coulomb’s Law vs Gravitational Law

Here is a table comparing the differences between Coulomb's Law and Gravitational Law:

Feature Coulomb's Law (Electric Force) Gravitational Law (Gravitational Force)
Description Force between two electric charges Force between two masses
Formula $$F = k \times \frac{q1 \times q2}{r^2}$$ $$F = G \times \frac{M \times m}{r^2}$$
Force Type Attractive and repulsive Only attractive
Force Strength Weaker than gravitational force Stronger than electric force
Dependence Depends on electric charges Depends on masses
Inverse Square Law $$F \propto \frac{1}{r^2}$$ Both follow the inverse-square law

Coulomb's Law describes the force between two electric charges, while Gravitational Law describes the force between two masses. The main differences between the two laws are the types of forces they describe and their dependences on charges or masses.