Electric Force Vs Gravitational Force

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Similarity Between Gravitation and Electrostatic Forces

past Ron Kurtus (5 December 2010)

Since the 1700s, scientists noticed the similarity between gravitation and electrostatic forces. This led to speculation that the two forces were somewhat related. Nonetheless, there are also differences that divide the forces.

In the early 1900s, equations indicated that moving charges and moving masses provide an analogy of gravitational and electromagnetic fields. This results in the concept of a gravitomagnetic force, where large rotating masses affect nearby small masses. Notwithstanding, measurements take not validated the concept.

Questions you may have include:

How are the force equations similar?
How are they different?
What is gravitomagnetism?

This lesson will respond those questions. Useful tool: Units Conversion

Strength equations parallel

The gravitational force equation and the electrostatic forcefulness equation tin exist seen as parallel to each other.

Gravitation

The Universal Gravitation Equation states the forcefulness of attraction between ii objects, where the mass is considered concentrated at their centers of mass:

F = GMm/R²

where

F is the force of attraction betwixt two objects
K is the Universal Gravitational Abiding
M and thousand are the masses of the two point objects
R is the separation between the centers of the objects

Electrostatic

The electrostatic strength equation is called Coulomb'southward Constabulary and states the force of attraction between particles of contrary electrical accuse. It likewise represents the strength of repulsion for like charges:

F = grand_eqQ/r²

where

F is the strength of allure or repulsion between two electrically charged particles
k_e is the Coulomb forcefulness constant
q and Q are signal charges of the two particles
r is the separation between the particles

Comparison of forces

There are similarities and differences between the ii forces.

Similarities

From looking at the two forcefulness equations, you tin can run across the similarities and how gravitational strength can be considered parallel to the forcefulness between two charges.

Too being proportional to the inverse of the square of the separation, both forces extend to infinity. They besides both travel at the speed of light.

Differences

One major difference is in the strength of the forces. The gravitational attraction between two electrons is but 8.22*10⁻³⁷ of the electrostatic strength of repulsion at the same separation. Nonetheless, gravitation usually is concerned with large masses, while any large collection of charges will rapidly neutralize.

Another difference between the ii forces is the fact that gravitation only attracts, while electric forces attract when the electrical charges are opposite and repel if the charges are similar. Thus, gravitation is considered a monopole force, while electrostatics is a dipole force.

Withal, the concept of dark energy, which seems to have an anti-gravitation force, may allow for gravitation to be both the attraction and repulsion of matter.

Gravitomagnetism

An analogy of gravitational and electromagnetic fields is seen by comparing the Einstein Field Equations from the General Theory of Relativity with Maxwell's Field Equations for electrical and magnetic fields.

Einstein's equations state that the gravitational field produced by a rotating object can exist described by equations that accept the same form as Maxwell'southward equations.

Notation: Both sets of equations are across the telescopic of our material.

Just every bit a rotating or moving electrical accuse creates a magnetic field, full general relativity predicts that a huge rotating mass will cause a modest nearby costless-falling object to rotate. This is called a gravitomagnetic effect. Unfortunately, this prediction of general relativity has all the same to exist direct tested or proven to be truthful

Summary

There is a similarity between gravitation and electrostatic force equations. Although this led to speculation that the two forces were somewhat related, differences were seen that separated the forces.

Einstein's and Maxwell'south equations indicate that moving charges and moving masses provide an analogy of gravitational and electromagnetic fields, chosen gravitomagnetics. The effect is that large rotating masses affect nearby small-scale masses. Nevertheless, measurements take non validated the concept.

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Resources and references

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Websites

Parallels betwixt electrostatics and gravity - Wikipedia

Gravitomagnetism - Wikipedia

Gravitation Resources

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Similarity Between Gravitation and Electrostatic Forces