What is the Difference Between Gravitational Field and Electric Field?

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The main differences between gravitational and electric fields are:

  1. Force acting on: Gravitational fields act on mass, while electric fields act on charge.
  2. Attraction or repulsion: Gravitational fields only produce attractive forces, whereas electric fields can produce both attractive and repulsive forces.
  3. Field strength: Electric fields are generally much stronger than gravitational fields.
  4. Shielding: Objects can be shielded from electric fields, but there is no way to shield an object from a gravitational field.
  5. Universal versus non-universal: Gravitational fields act upon all masses, while electric fields only act upon charged masses.

Despite these differences, both gravitational and electric fields share some similarities:

  • They both obey inverse square laws, such as the gravitational force (Fgrav) and electric force (Felectric) equations.
  • Both fields act between two bodies without any means of contact.
  • The field strength of both is defined in terms of force per unit of the property of the object (mass and charge).

Comparative Table: Gravitational Field vs Electric Field

Here is a table comparing the differences between gravitational fields and electric fields:

Property Gravitational Field Electric Field
Acts on Particles with mass Particles with charge
Attractive or Repulsive Always attractive Can be attractive or repulsive
Field Strength Much weaker than electric field Stronger than gravitational field
Potential Always negative Can be either positive or negative
Force Gravitational force obeys the inverse square law (F(grav) = GMm/r^2) Electric force obeys the inverse square law (F(electric) = kq1q2/r^2)
Acts without contact Both fields act between two bodies without any means of contact Both fields act between two bodies without any means of contact

Gravitational fields and electric fields are both types of fields that describe how objects interact with each other. They share some similarities, such as obeying inverse square laws and acting without contact. However, they also have key differences, such as the particles they act on, the nature of the force (attractive or repulsive), and the strength of the field.