It’s actually a little frightening when you consider that gravity, a force that we think is so strong on earth, is really not that strong at all. Because if it was even slightly less strong than it is, we might float out into the ether, and it is remarkable what subtle forces are needed to transcend the law of gravity:
We spend every day of our lives rooted to the Earth because of gravity, so it’s natural that most of us consider it a powerful force in the universe. Not so.
Think about it: The force of the entire Earth pulling down on a pin or a paperclip can be overcome with a small fridge magnet. Static electricity can make fabric and strands of hair stubbornly defy gravity — and all that takes is a short walk in a wool hat. Entire groups of people can be lifted off the ground for hours with a large balloon full of hot air. If gravity were as strong as the electromagnetic force, or the strong and the weak forces in an atomic nucleus, we’d all be a very finely distributed sludge over the surface of the earth.