Physics
Forces of Nature Physics
Forces of nature in physics refer to the fundamental interactions that govern the behavior of matter and energy in the universe. These forces include gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. Understanding these forces is crucial for explaining the behavior of particles, the structure of atoms, and the dynamics of celestial bodies.
Written by Perlego with AI-assistance
Related key terms
1 of 5
11 Key excerpts on "Forces of Nature Physics"
eBook - PDF- Paul Peter Urone, Roger Hinrichs(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Openstax(Publisher)
Their properties are summarized in Table 4.1. Since the weak and strong nuclear forces act over an extremely short range, the size of a nucleus or less, we do not experience them directly, although they are crucial to the very structure of matter. These forces determine which nuclei are stable and which decay, and they are the basis of the release of energy in certain nuclear reactions. Nuclear forces determine not only the stability of nuclei, but also the relative abundance of elements in nature. The properties of the nucleus of an atom determine the number of electrons it has and, thus, indirectly determine the chemistry of the atom. More will be said of all of these topics in later chapters. Chapter 4 | Dynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion 159 Concept Connections: The Four Basic Forces The four basic forces will be encountered in more detail as you progress through the text. The gravitational force is defined in Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation, electric force in Electric Charge and Electric Field, magnetic force in Magnetism, and nuclear forces in Radioactivity and Nuclear Physics. On a macroscopic scale, electromagnetism and gravity are the basis for all forces. The nuclear forces are vital to the substructure of matter, but they are not directly experienced on the macroscopic scale. Table 4.1 Properties of the Four Basic Forces [1] Force Approximate Relative Strengths Range Attraction/Repulsion Carrier Particle Gravitational 10 −38 ∞ attractive only Graviton Electromagnetic 10 – 2 ∞ attractive and repulsive Photon Weak nuclear 10 – 13 < 10 –18 m attractive and repulsive W + , W – , Z 0 Strong nuclear 1 < 10 –15 m attractive and repulsive gluons The gravitational force is surprisingly weak—it is only because gravity is always attractive that we notice it at all. Our weight is the gravitational force due to the entire Earth acting on us.
eBook - PDF- SachchidaNand Shukla(Author)
- 2023(Publication Date)
- Arcler Press(Publisher)
All other interactions are considered to be due to either one or a combination of these forces. This chapter will survey the fundamental interactions of nature-with emphasis on both their physical characteristics and their rich mathematical structures (Ishimori et al., 2010). The chapter also explores topics in both particle physics and condensed matter (solid state) physics that illuminate topics related to the fundamental interactions. Physics determines that particle interaction in elementary particles can be expressed in four fundamental forces. These forces in order of decreasing strength include: • Strong nuclear force; • Electromagnetic force; • Weak nuclear force; • Gravitational force. 5.2. STRONG NUCLEAR FORCE The strong nuclear force is the strongest force operating between particles in the universe. It binds together atomic nuclei at the heart of all the planets and stars and holds atoms themselves together, accounting for their characteristic rigidity. It is responsible for binding protons and neutrons (collectively known as nucleons) together into atomic nuclei. The strong force inherently has a very short range, but can become stronger with increasing distance due to zero-range. The strong nuclear force (also called the strong force or nuclear strong force) is the mechanism by which subatomic particles called hadrons that make up nuclei can remain together against the repulsive jostling of their constituent protons. It is the strongest of the four fundamental forces of nature, with a strength of about 1,038 times that of electromagnetism and 100,642 times that of gravitation. The strong interaction is observable at two ranges, on a larger scale (over about 2–3 femtometers) as a force between nucleons, and on a smaller scale (less than about 0.8 femtometers) as the short-range constituent of the nuclear force carrying particle, called the gluon (Figure 5.4). The Study of Elementary Particles 120 Figure 5.4. The strong nuclear force in action.
eBook - PDF- John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson, David Young, Shane Stadler(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
In nature there are two general types of forces, fundamental and nonfundamental. Fun- damental forces are the ones that are truly unique, in the sense that all other forces can be explained in terms of them. Only three fundamental forces have been discovered: 1. Gravitational force 2. Strong nuclear force 3. Electroweak force The gravitational force is discussed in the next section. The strong nuclear force plays a primary role in the stability of the nucleus of the atom (see Section 31.2). The elec- troweak force is a single force that manifests itself in two ways (see Section 32.6). One manifestation is the electromagnetic force that electrically charged particles exert on one another (see Sections 18.5, 21.2, and 21.8). The other manifestation is the so-called weak nuclear force that plays a role in the radioactive disintegration of certain nuclei (see Section 31.5). Except for the gravitational force, all of the forces discussed in this chapter are non- fundamental, because they are related to the electromagnetic force. They arise from the interactions between the electrically charged particles that comprise atoms and molecules. Our understanding of which forces are fundamental, however, is continually evolving. For instance, in the 1860s and 1870s, James Clerk Maxwell showed that the electric force and the magnetic force could be explained as manifestations of a single electromagnetic force. Then, in the 1970s, Sheldon Glashow (1932–), Abdus Salam (1926–1996), and Steven Weinberg (1933–) presented the theory that explains how the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force are related to the electroweak force. They received a Nobel Prize in 1979 for their achievement. Today, efforts continue that have the goal of further reducing the number of fundamental forces.
eBook - PDF- John D. Cutnell, Kenneth W. Johnson, David Young, Shane Stadler(Authors)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
In nature there are two general types of forces, fundamental and nonfundamental. Fun- damental forces are the ones that are truly unique, in the sense that all other forces can be explained in terms of them. Only three fundamental forces have been discovered: 1. Gravitational force 2. Strong nuclear force 3. Electroweak force The gravitational force is discussed in the next section. The strong nuclear force plays a primary role in the stability of the nucleus of the atom (see Section 31.2). The elec- troweak force is a single force that manifests itself in two ways (see Section 32.6). One manifestation is the electromagnetic force that electrically charged particles exert on one another (see Sections 18.5, 21.2, and 21.8). The other manifestation is the so-called weak nuclear force that plays a role in the radioactive disintegration of certain nuclei (see Section 31.5). Except for the gravitational force, all of the forces discussed in this chapter are non- fundamental, because they are related to the electromagnetic force. They arise from the interactions between the electrically charged particles that comprise atoms and molecules. Our understanding of which forces are fundamental, however, is continually evolving. For instance, in the 1860s and 1870s James Clerk Maxwell showed that the electric force and the magnetic force could be explained as manifestations of a single electromagnetic force. Then, in the 1970s, Sheldon Glashow (1932– ), Abdus Salam (1926–1996), and Steven Weinberg (1933– ) presented the theory that explains how the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force are related to the electroweak force. They received a Nobel Prize in 1979 for their achievement. Today, efforts continue that have the goal of further reducing the number of fundamental forces.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Learning Press(Publisher)
The strong and weak forces act only at very short distances, and are responsible for the interactions between subatomic particles including nucleons and compound nuclei. The elec-tromagnetic force acts between electric charges and the gravitational force acts between masses. All other forces are based on the existence of the four fundamental interactions. For example, friction is a manifestation of the electromagnetic force acting between the atoms of two surfaces, and the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which does not allow atoms to pass through each other. The forces in springs, modeled by Hooke's law, are also the result of electromagnetic forces and the Exclusion Principle acting together to return the object to its equilibrium position. Centrifugal forces are acceleration forces which arise simply from the acceleration of rotating frames of reference. The development of fundamental theories for forces proceeded along the lines of unification of disparate ideas. For example, Isaac Newton unified the force responsible ________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ for objects falling at the surface of the Earth with the force responsible for the orbits of celestial mechanics in his universal theory of gravitation. Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic forces were unified through one consistent theory of electromagnetism. In the twentieth century, the development of quantum mechanics led to a modern understanding that the first three fundamental forces (all except gravity) are manifestations of matter (fermions) interacting by exchanging virtual particles called gauge bosons. This standard model of particle physics posits a similarity between the forces and led scientists to predict the unification of the weak and electromagnetic forces in electroweak theory subsequently confirmed by observation.
No longer available |Learn more- (Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Academic Studio(Publisher)
The strong and weak forces act only at very short distances, and are responsible for the interactions between subatomic particles including nucleons and compound nuclei. The electromagnetic force acts between electric charges and the gravitational force acts between masses. All other forces are based on the existence of the four fundamental interactions. For example, friction is a manifestation of the electromagnetic force acting between the atoms of two surfaces, and the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which does not allow atoms to pass through each other. The forces in springs, modeled by Hooke's law, are also the result of electromagnetic forces and the Exclusion Principle acting together to return the object to its equilibrium position. Centrifugal forces are acceleration forces which arise simply from the acceleration of rotating frames of reference. The development of fundamental theories for forces proceeded along the lines of unification of disparate ideas. For example, Isaac Newton unified the force responsible ________________________ WORLD TECHNOLOGIES ________________________ for objects falling at the surface of the Earth with the force responsible for the orbits of celestial mechanics in his universal theory of gravitation. Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell demonstrated that electric and magnetic forces were unified through one consistent theory of electromagnetism. In the twentieth century, the development of quantum mechanics led to a modern understanding that the first three fundamental forces (all except gravity) are manifestations of matter (fermions) interacting by exchanging virtual particles called gauge bosons. This standard model of particle physics posits a similarity between the forces and led scientists to predict the unification of the weak and electromagnetic forces in electroweak theory subsequently confirmed by observation.
eBook - PDFQuestioning the Universe
Concepts in Physics
- Ahren Sadoff(Author)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- Chapman and Hall/CRC(Publisher)
23 4 Forces 4.1 THE FUNDAMENTAL FORCES What is a force? One answer is that it is a push or a pull. A better answer, that we will find to be more useful, is that it is an interaction between two or more objects. For most of our discussion, two objects will suffice. Forces are no strangers to us since we interact with all sorts of things every day. Below is a list of forces I have compiled. Before reading my list, it would be instruc-tive for you to take out a piece of paper and make your own list. Hopefully you will come up with some not on my list. Gravity Electric Weak nuclear Strong nuclear Centrifugal Magnetic Centripetal Friction Wind force Contact force (between surfaces) Muscular force Chemical Atomic I am sure you have noticed that my list is arranged in columns or categories. Let us look at the last column first. Both items are, in fact, not forces at all, but adjec-tives describing the action of a particular force. A centrifugal force is any force that is directed outward from the center of a curve when an object is traveling in curved motion. Similarly, a centripetal force acts inward toward the center of the curve. Gravity is usually the force most people list first, as I have. It, of course, is very important to us since it keeps us bound to the earth and the earth to the sun. The second column contains many familiar forces under one heading. Why? Because all these seemingly different forces are all due to only one force. Electric and magnetic are not separate forces, but just different manifestations of what is known as the electromagnetic force (we will discuss this in more detail shortly). The force that holds the atom together is not some special new force, but is just due to the electri-cal attraction of the negatively charged electrons to the positively charged protons in the nucleus. Similarly, different atoms interact by the attraction or repulsion of the electrons and protons in one atom acting on the electrons and protons of another atom.
eBook - PDFThe Mechanical Universe
Mechanics and Heat, Advanced Edition
- Steven C. Frautschi, Richard P. Olenick, Tom M. Apostol, David L. Goodstein(Authors)
- 2008(Publication Date)
- Cambridge University Press(Publisher)
CHAPTER FORCES t don't know what I may seem to the world, but, as to myself, I seem to have been only a boy playing on the sea shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Isaac Newton 8.1 THE FUNDAMENTAL FORCES: CLASSIFICATION AND UNIFICATION Using crude water clocks to time balls rolling down inclined planes, Galileo searched for and found a description of how bodies fall. His law of falling bodies, however, wasn't a fundamental law of nature. Within half a century it was superseded by a deeper insight into nature - Newton's universal law of gravity. Through the genius of Newton, the force of gravity, 163 164 FORCES (8.1) was revealed as a fundamental force of nature. Inspired by Newton, physicists in the eighteenth century sought to identify, classify, and mathematically describe the numerous forces observed in nature. Knowledge of these forces provided physics with a certain predictive power, because according to Newton's second law, F = ma, forces shape the motion of all things. Through painstaking ex-periments, these physicists reached empirical descriptions of forces in the world about them: tensions, spring forces, friction, viscosity, electricity, magnetism, chemical action. As the number of forces grew, so did the applications in an increasingly industrialized world. Yet a question which confronted these physicists was: Are all these forces fun-damental, or can they be reduced to more basic forces? Not until late in the eighteenth century did a second force emerge as fundamental -the electric force. The French engineer Charles Augustin Coulomb assumed that, anal-ogous to the gravitational force between two masses, the electric force between two charges is proportional to the product of the charges.
eBook - ePub- Chris Webster(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
Regardless of what you are trying to achieve, you will, without doubt, gain great benefit from a basic understanding of dynamics and the laws of motion. We cover these concepts here. This study is intended to underpin the work of the animator; for our purposes at least, this study should not become the work itself. We need what we need as animators; we do not need to push the boundaries of our understanding of the world and everything in it.Forces of Nature
We, along with everything else on earth, are governed by the laws of physics and by the forces of nature, though for the most part we might not be aware of these laws or forces. Indeed, it is not always possible for us to detect these forces, and it’s only in recent times that we have gained a fuller understanding of them.Understanding some of these universal laws of nature may prove useful for animators, not simply when making animation that is intended to illustrate movement in environments of which we have first-hand experience, but also by allowing us to make believable animation of all manner of alien and imagined worlds. Universal laws are exactly that—universal. They apply in the same way to objects and environments at the furthest reaches of our galaxy, and every other galaxy for that matter, in the same way as they do here on earth. Yes, there are places where conditions and circumstances mean that the laws of physics seem, if not to break down, then to stretch our understanding of them. For example, regions around black holes known as event horizons may be one such place.By understanding a little about the forces of nature and the laws of physics and motion, we may be in a better position to make our animation, no matter how fantastical and alien, accurate or at least plausible. The same laws of motion that extend to all living things will also apply to alien life forms, if they exist. However weird and wonderful, these life forms will be required to comply with those same laws of physics that govern the ones found on earth.A number of forces, objects, and matter are more familiar to physicists and cosmologists than the rest of us. Although we may know that these things exist, or at least we believe them to exist insofar as theories point to their existence, the possible impact on our everyday lives by such exotic concepts as dark matter, dark energy, and dark flow may not be of such urgent importance to us. On a day-to-day basis, these phenomena are not clearly evident to us; once again, though they may be of interest, they seem to have little impact on the way we live our lives or the manner in which we generally see that things behave.
eBook - PDFUnderstanding The Universe: From Quarks To The Cosmos
From Quarks to the Cosmos
- Donald Lincoln(Author)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- World Scientific(Publisher)
Research is to see what everybody has seen and to think what nobody else has thought. — Albert Szent-Györgi If the universe were only occupied by the particles described in the preceding chapter, the universe would be a very lonely place indeed. Particles would zip hither and yon, never giving one another so much as a “How do you do?” Electrons would not be bound to atomic nuclei and, with no atoms; there would be no molecules, no cells, no us. And since readers wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t bother writing this book. Luckily, in addition to the interesting particles about which we are now familiar, there also exist forces that bind the particles together into useful configurations. As alluded to in earlier chapters, we know of four distinct forces with very different properties. The first thing that we will discuss is the character of the various forces, but then we will discuss a new and interesting idea. The existence of forces implies that new particles exist. These particles carry the various forces. This is a non-intuitive concept and we will discuss it in detail when appropriate. c h a p t e r 4 ❖ Forces: What Holds it All Together 147 At our present level of knowledge, there appear to exist four forces. These forces are gravity, the electromagnetic force, the strong (or nuclear) force and the radiation-causing weak force. Gravity is per-haps the most familiar. It keeps us on Earth and guides the stars and planets through the cosmos. Gravity is always an attractive force, which means gravity will always make two particles want to move closer to one another. When one thinks about forces, an important question is always “What governs the strength of the force?” For gravity, just three things are relevant: (a) the mass of each of the two objects, (b) the distance separating the centers of the two objects and (c) a constant factor which is related to how strong the gravity force is, once the other two factors are taken into account.
eBook - PDFUnderstanding The Universe: From Quarks To Cosmos (Revised Edition)
From Quarks to the Cosmos
- Donald Lincoln(Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- World Scientific(Publisher)
146 Research is to see what everybody has seen and to think what nobody else has thought. — Albert Szent-Györgi If the universe were only occupied by the particles described in the preceding chapter, the universe would be a very lonely place indeed. Particles would zip hither and yon, never giving one another so much as a “How do you do?” Electrons would not be bound to atomic nuclei and, with no atoms; there would be no molecules, no cells, no us. And since readers wouldn’t exist, I wouldn’t bother writing this book. Luckily, in addition to the interesting particles about which we are now familiar, there also exist forces that bind the particles together into useful configurations. As alluded to in earlier chapters, we know of four distinct forces with very different properties. The first thing that we will discuss is the character of the various forces, but then we will discuss a new and interesting idea. The existence of forces implies that new particles exist. These particles carry the various forces. This is a non-intuitive concept and we will discuss it in detail when appropriate. c h a p t e r 4 ❖ Forces: What Holds it All Together At our present level of knowledge, there appear to exist four forces. These forces are gravity, the electromagnetic force, the strong (or nuclear) force and the radiation-causing weak force. Gravity is per-haps the most familiar. It keeps us on Earth and guides the stars and planets through the cosmos. Gravity is always an attractive force, which means gravity will always make two particles want to move closer to one another. When one thinks about forces, an important question is always “What governs the strength of the force?” For gravity, just three things are relevant: (a) the mass of each of the two objects, (b) the distance separating the centers of the two objects and (c) a constant factor which is related to how strong the gravity force is, once the other two factors are taken into account.
Index pages curate the most relevant extracts from our library of academic textbooks. They’ve been created using an in-house natural language model (NLM), each adding context and meaning to key research topics.
