# Does gravity apply to ionised objects?

1. Dec 10, 2013

### tinypositrons

Eg. If I ionised myself (ignoring other problems) would I fall through the floor and eventually stop moving at the center of the gravitational body I was on (assuming I didn't make an orbit).

2. Dec 10, 2013

### Staff: Mentor

Gravity certainly does apply to ionized objects, but I have no idea why you think that ionized objects would fall through the floor. They would hit the floor and stop like any other object.

3. Dec 10, 2013

Gravity applies to all the objects which possess mass and force of gravity is given by the formula:

$F=\frac{Gm_1m_2}{r^2}$

4. Dec 10, 2013

Staff Emeritus
Furthermore, just about all macroscopic items carry some non-zero charge - i.e. are ionized. Observationally, nothing odd happens.

5. Dec 10, 2013

### sophiecentaur

It is unlikely that you could actually "ionise" yourself. You could possibly add to or remove a very few of the 10^24, or so electrons but that would not make you into an Ion. An Ion is a specific thing - an atom with an unbalanced charge.

6. Dec 10, 2013

### Naty1

Most of us are rather uncharged, so we are not subject to the electromagnet [EM] force between ourselves and other charged objects. If you were to take on a charge, then you would be subject to the EM force. This would be in addition to the gravity which always acts between you and other bodies.