Final answer:
The inverse square law applies to the electromagnetic force and gravity, affecting how forces like light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation, as well as gravitational attraction, decrease with distance.
Step-by-step explanation:
When something in physics decreases with the square of the distance from its source, it is said to be subject to the inverse square law. This law applies to gravity and the electromagnetic force, which decrease with the square of the distance from the source. The inverse square law applies particularly to light and other electromagnetic radiation, including gamma, X-rays, and UV radiation. These radiation types are referred to as ionizing radiation because they possess sufficient energy to ionize atoms, changing their electrical charge.
According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, the force of gravity is proportional to the inverse of the square of the distance between two masses and likewise follows the inverse square law. This same distance-squared relationship can be seen in Coulomb's law, which describes the force between two charged particles. These two examples highlight the important idea that the effects of these forces decrease quickly with increasing distance from their source.