The basic forces in nature
Contemporary Physics Education Project
Fundamental Forces
The interactions in the Universe are governed by four forces (strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitational).
Physicists are trying to derive a unified theory that would describe all
the forces in nature as a single fundamental law.
So far they have succeeded in producing a unified description of
the weak and electromagnetic forces, but a deeper understanding
of the strong and gravitational forces has not yet been
achieved.
Quantum physics describes the mutual effect of forces
on particles by the "exchange" of
other particles. For example, electrically charged particles attract or
repel each other by emitting and absorbing photons, which carry the
electromagnetic interaction.
FUNDAMENTAL FORCES
| Interaction |
Relative Strength |
Range |
Mediating Particle |
|
| Strong |
1 |
Short |
Gluon |
|
| Electromagnetic |
0.0073 |
Long |
Photon |
|
| Weak |
10-9 |
Very Short |
W,Z |
|
| Gravitational |
10-38 |
Long |
Graviton |
|
Table courtesy of University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario (Cananda)
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