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The ratio of the electric force to the gravitational force between a proton and an electron at a certain distance is

Asked in GSEB Board March 2020 · Coulomb's law and superposition

Answer: (3) 2.4×10³⁹

Step-by-step solution

Idea: both forces are inverse-square, so the distance cancels in the ratio.

Fₑ=(ke²)/(r²) and F_g=(Gmₑmₚ)/(r²)

(Fₑ)/(F_g)=(ke²)/(Gmₑmₚ)=((9×10⁹)(1.6×10⁻¹⁹)²)/((6.67×10⁻¹¹)(9.1×10⁻³¹)(1.67×10⁻²⁷))

Numerator: 2.30×10⁻²⁸. Denominator: 1.01×10⁻⁶⁷.

(Fₑ)/(F_g)≈2.3×10³⁹ - the ratio NCERT quotes as 2.4×10³⁹, and the only option with the right power of ten.

The electric force is about 10³⁹ times the gravitational one, which is why gravity plays no part in holding an atom together.

Why the other options are wrong

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