Which force acts between any two masses as an attractive force?

The gravitational force is the key to understanding why it acts as an attractive force between any two masses. This fundamental force is described by Newton's law of universal gravitation, which states that every mass attracts every other mass with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers.

This means that no matter how small or large the objects are, as long as they have mass, there is a force pulling them together. Gravitational force plays a significant role in various phenomena, including the orbits of planets, the falling of objects towards the Earth, and the behavior of tides. Additionally, it is the weakest of the four fundamental forces but has an infinite range, meaning it can still influence objects over vast distances in the universe.

Other forces listed do not act as attractive forces between masses in the same way. For instance, the electromagnetic force can be either attractive or repulsive, depending on the charges involved, while centripetal force is a type of force that acts on objects moving in a circular path, directed towards the center of that circle. Friction, on the other hand, is a force that opposes motion between two surfaces in contact.