Cyberphysics - The four fundamental forces in nature

The Four Fundamental Forces in Nature

Scientists are currently trying to find a theory (and a set of equations that incorporate everything!) that will bind together the four forces into one - the Grand Unified Theory.

At the moment there are four forces that govern behaviour in the Universe.

	Name	Domain	Particle (see later)	Relative strength
I	Strong Nuclear Force	Within the nucleus - acts between nucleons over a very short range	Pions (mesons)	1
II	Electromagnetic Force	Between charged particles - binds atoms and molecules together	photons (quanta of electromagnetic radiation E = hf)	10^-2
III	Weak Nuclear Force	Within the nucleus - governs radioactive beta decay - involves leptons	w bosons and z-particles (not on the syllabus)	10^-6
IV	Gravitational Force	Acts between all masses - very important for large masses in space such as planets and stars	gravitons (not yet detected!)	10^-38

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