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What are the four fundamental forces of nature?
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physics
As conceived by Daniel Bernoulli in Hydrodynamica (1738), gases consist of numerous particles in rapid random motion. He assumed that the pressure of a gas is produced by the direct impact of the particles on the walls of the container.
In physics, there are four fundamental forces that govern how objects and particles interact and decay. These forces are:12
- Gravitational force: Acts between all objects with mass. It operates over an infinite range and is responsible for phenomena such as planetary orbits and the falling of objects on Earth.12
- Electromagnetic force: Acts between electrically charged particles. Like gravity, it has an infinite range and is responsible for chemical behavior, the properties of light, and the attraction or repulsion of electric charges.13
- Strong force: The most powerful of the four, it acts between quarks and binds protons and neutrons together within the atomic nucleus. Its range is extremely limited, confined to the scale of the nucleus.12
- Weak force: Responsible for certain types of radioactive decay and nuclear reactions that power stars. It has a very short range and is weaker than both the strong and electromagnetic forces.142
While these forces appear distinct, modern theoretical physics explores the concept of unification, suggesting they may be different manifestations of a single underlying force.12