Coulomb's Law - Could a mass term be missing?

[Buckeye]

The near identity of Coulomb's law and Newton's law of gravitation is interesting to consider in light of the recent unexpected greater velocity (or acceleration) of deep space probes.

If we add a mass term to Coulomb's law and a charge term to Newtons' law, then they are nearly the same equation. Could this explain the acceleration of the deep space probes? Could the planets have a long range charge based attraction to the probes that is in addition to the gravitational pull of the planets?

 

[Vailanor]

It is possible that this charge based attraction could be responsible for the unexpected acceleration of deep space probes. Further research is needed to determine if this could be a possible explanation.

 

[astrokreng]

I cannot definitively say whether a mass term is missing from Coulomb's law or not. However, it is certainly an interesting idea to explore in light of the recent observations of deep space probes.

First, it is important to note that Coulomb's law and Newton's law of gravitation are fundamentally different equations. Coulomb's law describes the force between two charged particles, while Newton's law describes the force between two massive objects. Therefore, adding a mass term to Coulomb's law and a charge term to Newton's law would not make them "nearly the same equation".

That being said, it is possible that there could be some unknown force or interaction at play in deep space that is causing the unexpected acceleration of the probes. This could potentially be related to the presence of charged particles or fields in the region, which could interact with the probes' charges and affect their motion. However, this is purely speculative and would require further investigation and evidence to support.

In conclusion, while the idea of a missing mass term in Coulomb's law is intriguing, it is important to approach it with caution and continue to gather data and evidence before drawing any conclusions. Science is a constantly evolving field, and it is important to consider all possibilities and thoroughly test them before making any claims.