Question

Both the electrical force and the gravitational force between two objects share which relationship?

A. They are directly proportional to mass.
B. They are inversely proportional to the square of the distance.
C. They are inversely proportional to charge.
D. They are directly proportional to the square of the distance.

Answer 1

B. They are inversely proportional to the square of the distance.

Step-by-step explanation:

The gravitational force between two objects is given by:

`F_G = G (m_1 m_2)/(r^2)`

where

G is the gravitational constant

m1, m2 are the masses of the two objects

r is the distance between the two objects

While the electrical force is given by

`F_E = k (q_1 q_2)/(r^2)`

where

k is the Coulomb's constant

q1, q2 are the charges of the two objects

r is the distance between the two objects

As we see from the two equations, both forces are inversely proportional to the square of the distance, so the correct option is

B. They are inversely proportional to the square of the distance.