Forces occur naturally in a number of forms. Forces can cause harm but they can also be useful. The wind exerts a force which can blow down a tree or damage buildings. But the wind can also be used to move sailing boats, generate electricity or even to fly flags and kites. The tremendous force of waves on a stormy day can make conditions very dangerous for boats, and a flowing river can cause damaging floods. But rivers can also be used to carry timber downstream, or turn a water wheel. Gravity, too, is a natural force.
The Four Fundamental Forces of Nature are Gravitational force, Weak Nuclear force, Electromagnetic force and Strong Nuclear force. The weak and strong forces are effective only over a very short range and dominate only at the level of subatomic particles. Gravity and Electromagnetic force have infinite range. Let’s see each of them in detail.
Gravitational Force
The gravitational force is weak, but very long ranged. Furthermore, it is always attractive. It acts between any two pieces of matter in the Universe since mass is its source.
Weak Nuclear Force
The weak force is responsible for radioactive decay and neutrino interactions. It has a very short range and. As its name indicates, it is very weak. The weak force causes Beta decay ie the conversion of a neutron into a proton, an electron and an antineutrino.
Electromagnetic Force
The electromagnetic force causes electric and magnetic effects such as the repulsion between like electrical charges or the interaction of bar magnets. It is long-ranged, but much weaker than the strong force. It can be attractive or repulsive, and acts only between pieces of matter carrying electrical charge. Electricity, magnetism, and light are all produced by this force.
Strong Nuclear Force
The strong interaction is very strong, but very short-ranged. It is responsible for holding the nuclei of atoms together. It is basically attractive, but can be effectively repulsive in some circumstances. The strong force is ‘carried’ by particles called gluons; that is, when two particles interact through the strong force, they do so by exchanging gluons. Thus, the quarks inside of the protons and neutrons are bound together by the exchange of the strong nuclear force.