3
votes
1answer
81 views

Units for physical constants

Someone told me that units for $G$ and $\epsilon_0$ (gravitational constant and Coulomb's constant) are placed there simply to make equations work dimensionally and that there is no real physical ...
0
votes
3answers
386 views

Force inversely proportional to the squared distance

Newton's law of universal gravitation: "Newton's law of universal gravitation states that every point mass in the universe attracts every other point mass with a force that is directly proportional to ...
1
vote
3answers
298 views

Similarity between the Coulomb force and Newton's gravitational force

Coulomb force and gravitational force has the same governing equation. So they should be same in nature. A moving electric charge creates magnetic field, so a moving mass should create some force ...
0
votes
3answers
162 views

What was wrong with action a distance?

It is usually said that the idea of fields was introduced (electric and magnetic fields) in electricity and magnetism after Coulomb's law to cure the conceptual problems of action at a distance. ...
0
votes
1answer
211 views

If 2 charges have the same sign, the coulomb force is positive but repulsive, while with 2 masses the gravitational force is positive but attractive

If you have two point objects both the same positive charge and both of the same mass at a distance $r$ from each other. The force between them due to gravity is $F_g=\frac{Gmm}{r^2}$ and $F_g$ is ...
1
vote
1answer
223 views

Gravity force strength in 1D, 2D, 3D and higher spatial dimensions

Let's say that we want to measure the gravity force in 1D, 2D, 3D and higher spatial dimensions. Will we get the same force strength in the first 3 dimensions and then it will go up? How about if ...
13
votes
4answers
530 views

Why are so many forces explainable using inverse squares when space is three dimensional?

It seems paradoxical that the strength of so many phenomena (Newtonian gravity, Coulomb force) are calculable by the inverse square of distance. However, since volume is determined by three ...
1
vote
2answers
100 views

A particle of charge $-e$ orbits a particle of charge $Ze$, what is its orbital frequency?

A point particle $P$ of charge $Ze$ is fixed at the origin in 3-dimensions, while a point particle $E$ of mass $m$ and charge $-e$ moves in the electric field of $P$. I have the Newtonian equation of ...