Question

Given that their carrier particles are massless, some may argue that the electromagnetic and gravitational forces should maintain the same value at all distances from their source. However, both forces decrease with distance at a rate of 1r.

a) True

b) False

Answer 1

The statement is false; both gravitational and electromagnetic forces decrease with the square of the distance, not at a rate of 1/r as the question suggests.

Step-by-step explanation:

The statement is false. While it is true that both gravitational and electromagnetic forces have an infinite range because their carrier particles (gravitons and photons, respectively) are massless, the strength of these forces does indeed decrease with distance. Specifically, the gravitational force is directly proportional to the product of the masses of the two objects and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them, as described by Newton's law of universal gravitation. Similarly, the electromagnetic force also diminishes with the square of the distance according to Coulomb's law. These laws indicate that the force decreases at a rate of 1/r2, not 1/r as suggested in the question.