One of the clearest memories of my childhood is blanketed by the night sky. I remember crouching on the balcony of my house, wrapping my thin, dry hands around my body, trying to ward the cold of the night away as I stared up above the infinite sky, wondering about the fundamental forces that govern everything our eyes can behold and beyond.
Fundamental Forces of Nature
There are mainly four fundamental forces of nature, and they are categorised as
- The strong interaction
- The electromagnetic forces
- The weak forces
- The gravitational forces
Description of the Forces
They are of paramount importance to us, for they are all-pervading. The strong force, as the name implies, is the strongest of them all. It is responsible for binding together the fundamental particles of matter to form larger particles. The strong force holds together the nucleus of the atom. This force is ridiculously strong but extremely short-range. It is basically attractive but can be effectively repulsive in certain circumstances. The electromagnetic force is weaker but long-range. It could be attractive or repulsive; opposite charges attract, while like charges, repel.
Everything in this universe is subjected to gravitational force. Be it the sun or the pen on your table. Gravitational force is the attractive force between all the objects with mass. The weak force is responsible for radioactive decay and also neutrino interactions. It is short-ranged and weak, as the name suggests. For instance, water is held together in liquid form by weak interactive forces between the bipolar molecules of water. Explain what would happen if this weak insignificant force disappeared. All the water would vanish as gas.
Our very survival rests on these four fundamental forces of nature. All the while, as you read this article sitting on your chair, the atoms in your body aren’t actually touching the atoms in the chair. The familiar concept of gravitation is pulling you down onto your chair. At the same time, the electromagnetic interactions in the computer screen are responsible for generating light that helps you read. And now, when you look up at the night sky, you can marvel at the forces that are all around us.
To learn more about the fundamental forces of nature, visit BYJU’S website or download BYJU’S – The Learning App.
Frequently Asked Questions on Fundamental Forces of Nature
Name the four fundamental forces of nature.
The four main fundamental forces of nature are
1. Electromagnetic forces
2. Strong nuclear force
3. Weak nuclear force
4. Gravitational force
What is a strong nuclear force?
The nuclei of atoms are held together by a strong nuclear force.
What is electromagnetic force?
The force of attraction or repulsion between the particles with a property called charge is called electromagnetic force. The charge can be either positive or negative. Charged objects repel each other, while unlike charged objects will attract each other.
What is gravitational force?
Gravitational force is an attractive force between masses. Everything in this universe is subjected to gravitational force.
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