What is the difference between attractive and repulsive force?

Attractive and repulsive forces are terms used in physics to describe the interactions between objects or particles. These forces can be observed in various contexts, including electromagnetism, gravity, and nuclear interactions. Here's the key difference between attractive and repulsive forces:

Attractive Force:

An attractive force is a force that pulls objects or particles toward each other.
It occurs when there is an attractive interaction between two objects or particles, causing them to move closer together.
Examples of attractive forces include:
Gravitational attraction: The force that pulls objects with mass toward each other, such as the attraction between the Earth and any object on or near its surface.
Electromagnetic attraction: In magnets, opposite magnetic poles attract each other. Similarly, opposite electric charges attract each other.
Nuclear attraction: Inside an atomic nucleus, protons and neutrons are attracted to each other by the strong nuclear force.
Repulsive Force:

A repulsive force is a force that pushes objects or particles away from each other.
It occurs when there is a repulsive interaction between two objects or particles, causing them to move farther apart.
Examples of repulsive forces include:
Electromagnetic repulsion: In magnets, like magnetic poles (e.g., north-north or south-south) repel each other. Similarly, like electric charges (e.g., positive-positive or negative-negative) repel each other.
Electrostatic repulsion: When two objects or particles have the same electric charge (both positive or both negative), they will experience a repulsive force due to the electrostatic interaction.
Nuclear repulsion: Protons in the atomic nucleus experience a repulsive force due to their positive electric charges, but the strong nuclear force overcomes this repulsion, keeping the nucleus stable.
In summary, attractive forces bring objects or particles together, while repulsive forces push them apart. These forces play a fundamental role in explaining the behavior of matter and the interactions between various objects and particles in the universe.