Difference Between Gravitational Force and Magnetic Force

The key difference between gravitational force and magnetic force is that gravitational force acts on all the things that have a mass whereas magnetic force acts on things having iron or an electric charge on them.

Both gravitational force and magnetic force describe the attraction between two things due to different reasons. There are several differences between these two types of forces.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Gravitational Force
3. What is Magnetic Force
4. Side by Side Comparison – Gravitational Force vs Magnetic Force in Tabular Form
5. Summary

What is Gravitational Force?

Gravitational force is the force that acts on an object due to gravity. Gravity or gravitation is a natural process where all things with a mass or energy; for example, planets, stars, galaxies, and light. Gravitational force is the weakest force among the four fundamental interactions of physics (the other three forces are strong interaction, electromagnetic force, and weak interaction). Therefore, gravitational force does not have considerable influence at the level of subatomic particles. However, it is the dominant interaction force at the macroscopic level, which causes the formation, shape and trajectory of astronomical bodies.

We can define the gravitational force as a force that attracts any two objects having a particular mass. We call it an attractive force because it always causes the two masses to pull together and never pushes them apart. Newton’s universal law of gravitation expresses that every object with a mass is pulling on every other object in the entire universe. However, this attraction force largely depends on the mass of the object; e.g. large masses show massive attractions. The universal gravitation equation can be given as follows:

Where F is the gravitational force, G is the gravitational constant, M is the mass of one object, M is the mass of the other object, and r is the distance between two objects.

What is Magnetic Force?

Magnetic force is an attraction force that occurs between two charged particles or iron-containing objects. It can be either an attraction or repulsion based on the ionic charge of the object; objects with the same electrical charge repel each other while opposite charges attract each other.

This magnetic force is the basic force that is responsible for the action of electric motors and the attraction between magnets. The equation for magnetic force is as follows:

Where F is the magnetic force, q is the charge and v is the velocity of the particle, and B is the size of the magnetic field. Here, we can define the magnetic force between two moving charged particles as the effect exerted upon either charge by a magnetic field that is created by the other charged particle.

What is the Difference Between Gravitational Force and Magnetic Force?

Both gravitational force and magnetic force describe the attraction between two things due to different reasons. The key difference between gravitational force and magnetic force is that gravitational force acts on all things that have a mass whereas magnetic force acts on things having iron or an electric charge on them.

Moreover, gravitational force is usually a weak force while magnetic force is a much stronger force. For example, gravity on Earth that helps us walking on the Earth’s surface is the gravitational force. An example of the application of magnetic force is the action of an electric motor.

Below infographic summarizes the differences between gravitational force and magnetic force.

Summary – Gravitational Force vs Magnetic Force

Both gravitational force and magnetic force describe the attraction between two things due to different reasons. The key difference between gravitational force and magnetic force is that gravitational force acts on all the things that have a mass whereas magnetic force acts on things having iron or an electric charge on them.