Which force is greater? Gravity or static electricity? Use 2 electrons as your example.

Answer 1

Gravity and static electricity are both fundamental forces in nature, but they act on very different scales and have different strengths.

To compare the forces between two electrons due to gravity and static electricity, we can use the equations for these forces:

1. Gravity: The force of gravity between two objects can be calculated using Newton's law of universal gravitation: F_gravity = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2, where G is the gravitational constant, m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects, and r is the distance between them.

2. Static electricity: The force between two charged particles can be calculated using Coulomb's law: F_electricity = k * (q1 * q2) / r^2, where k is the electrostatic constant, q1 and q2 are the charges of the particles, and r is the distance between them.

Consider two electrons with the same charge (-e) and a separation distance (r) between them. In this case, we can compare the magnitudes of these forces:

1. Gravity: The mass of an electron is very small compared to other fundamental particles, so the force of gravity between two electrons is extremely weak. The gravitational force between them is many orders of magnitude smaller than the other fundamental forces. Hence, the force of gravity between two electrons is negligibly small, almost zero.

2. Static electricity: The charge of an electron (-e) is much larger than its mass. The force of static electricity between two electrons is significant due to this charge. While the absolute value of the charge is very small, static electricity tends to dominate at small distances, resulting in a stronger force between two electrons compared to gravity.

Therefore, the force of static electricity between two electrons is much greater than the force of gravity between them.