In what way does Newton's law of universal gravitation differ from Coulomb's law?
A) Electrical forces can be either attractive or repulsive, while gravity is only attractive.
B) Only Newton's law of gravity requires a universal constant.
C) Only Coulomb's law addresses distance in describing the effect of one object on another.
D) Newton's law required experimentation but Coulomb's law did not.
E) Newton's and Coulomb's laws are really identical, so there is no significant difference.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The key difference between Newton's law of universal gravitation and Coulomb's law is that electrical forces can be either attractive or repulsive, while gravity is always attractive. Coulomb's law describes the interaction between charged particles, while Newton's law describes the interaction between any two objects with mass. Both laws involve a universal constant, but in Coulomb's law this is the Coulomb constant, while in Newton's law it is the gravitational constant. Coulomb's law does address distance in its equation, while Newton's law does not explicitly include distance. Both laws required experimentation and observation to be developed.

In What Way Does Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation Differ