The four forces
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1036
The gravitational force acts on macroscopic objects like man, the earth, the sun, but because of its minute strength it is completely uninteresting for elementary particles. The electromagnetic force is 100 000 times stronger than the weak force and the strong force is 10 million times stronger than the weak force. The weak force acts between all particles (except the photon which is the carrier of the electromagnetic force) and results in the decay of many different particles. In order to exclusively study the effect of the weak force, it is necessary that the other two, completely dominating forces, are not active. The electromagnetic force acts between charged particles. The strong force acts between hadrons, a group of particles constructed of quarks.
The best way to study the weak force is with the help of the neutrino.
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There are four fundamental forces acting in nature: the gravitational force, the electromagnetic force, the strong and the weak force. If one compares the strength of the different forces, setting the gravitational force at 1, the proportion becomes:
| the gravitational force | |
| the weak force | 1031 | |
| the electromagnetic force | ||
| the strong force | 1038 | |
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
