Ratio of gravitational/repulsive electrostatic force

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the ratio of the attractive gravitational force to the repulsive electrostatic force between two protons, focusing on the relevant equations and constants involved in the computation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to find the gravitational force using the acceleration due to gravity, while others suggest using the gravitational constant instead. There is uncertainty about how to handle the variable radius in the equations.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively discussing the appropriate constants to use and the form in which to express the forces. Some guidance has been provided regarding not solving for the radius directly, indicating a productive direction in the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The radius of the protons is not specified, leading to questions about how to incorporate it into the calculations. The discussion also reflects a common misunderstanding regarding the use of gravitational acceleration versus the gravitational constant.

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Homework Statement


Calculate the ratio of the magnitude of the attractive gravitational force to the repulsive electrostatic force between two protons.

Homework Equations


Mass of proton = M = m = 1.672e-27 kg
g = 9.80665m/s2
Q = q = 1.60219e−19 C
k = 8.9875e9 N•m2/C2F_{Gravity}=g\frac{Mm}{r^{2}}

F_{electric}=k\frac{Qq}{r^{2}}

The Attempt at a Solution


The radius r is not given, so I attempted to find it algebraically by plugging in numbers, and I get:

F_{gravity}=\frac{2.74m/s^{2}\cdot kg^{2}}{r^{2}}

I feel certain I am on the wrong track.
 
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For Fgravity you should use G, not g. I.e., not 9.8 m/s2
 
Thanks, I changed g to G, but I'm still not sure what to do after solving for r
 
Don't solve for r, just leave it in the form

Fgravity = {your expression here}
Then do the same for Felectric.
 

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