PHYS 0110 Lecture 4: Module 4 Notes - gravitational force, fundamental forces, weight
Document Summary
Fundamental forces - apparently act at a distance with no physical contact between the interacting objects. Ex) earth-moon gravitational attraction: attract each other, but not actually touching. Fundamental interactions are not acting at a distance, caused by entities that exist in the space between the object, mediated by these entities called fields. Fundamental interactions are caused by fields that occupy the entire space between the objects. Non-fundamental forces - all require physical contact between the objects in order to exist (contact forces) Ex) pushing a cart, pulling a rope, supporting the weight of an object. Fundamental forces (with relative strength: gravitational (1) - force between masses, weakest of fundamental forces, force between earth and moon. Important between planets: electromagnetic (1036, much stronger than gravitational force, attraction between opposite electric charges, weak nuclear (1036, radioactive decay, strong nuclear (1038, force between component of atomic nucleus, keep it together, important at length scale of nucleus.
