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How is gravity the weakest out of the four main forces?

User Hacksy
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Final answer:

Gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental forces, but it dominates on large scales and over long distances, influencing the motion of astronomical bodies and giving us the sensation of weight.

Step-by-step explanation:

Gravity is known as the weakest of the four fundamental forces. Compared to the electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear forces, gravity has a much smaller force magnitude when it comes to interactions between elementary particles like protons. However, gravity becomes the dominant force in situations where large masses are involved or over astronomical distances. For example, in scenarios such as a person jumping on a trampoline, a rocket blasting off from Earth, or a log rolling down a hill, the effects of the other forces become negligible, and gravity is the strongly dominant force influencing these events. Despite its comparative weakness, we notice the gravitational force acting on our bodies due to its omnipresent and attractive nature. It is the force that gives us weight and governs the motion of objects in our daily lives. The gravity from the entire Earth is needed to hold us down, so even though a simple magnet can counteract gravity's pull on a small object like an iron nail, on the grand scale of planetary and stellar bodies, gravity is the fundamental force that shapes the orbits and structures of the universe, affecting even the nature of space and time itself.

User Michael D Johnson
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