What Is The Strongest Force On Earth? Fun Physics Force Facts For Kids

Oluwatosin Michael
Oct 13, 2023 By Oluwatosin Michael
Originally Published on Nov 05, 2021
Newtons cradle balls on the wooden table
Age: 3-18
Read time: 8.2 Min

Physical forces act all around us, from strolling down the street to sending a rocket into space to attaching a magnet to your refrigerator.

However, all of the forces that we encounter daily can be reduced to only four fundamental and significant forces. They are a strong force, a weak force, electromagnetic force, and gravitational force.

Everything that happens in the universe is governed by the four fundamental forces of nature, as they are known. It also describes how matter behaves chemically and how light behaves. It is possible to transform components of forces operating at an angle to the coordinate axes into mutually perpendicular forces.

The element of a force parallel to the x-axis is the x-component, the y-component is parallel to the y-axis, and so on. The amplitude, direction, and point of action of force are crucial characteristics that define the force's effect. The three constituents of force are what they're named. Each power has a magnitude and a circumstance that it shines over all others. All known forces of nature may be traced back to these four fundamental forces. The sorts of particles that feel the force, the relative intensity of the force, the range over which the force is potent, and the characteristics of the particles that mediate the force are the four criteria used to classify basic forces.

The strong nuclear force is the most powerful of the four fundamental forces, being 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic force, which is the second most powerful. Because the strong nuclear force only acts within the nucleus of an atom, it is not immediately felt in everyday life. The greatest force in the universe is the Strong Nuclear Force. Because their effects on everyday objects are easily observable, gravity and electromagnetism were known much earlier than discovering any strong and weak nuclear force.

If you like this physics article, you may also find it interesting to read these fun-fact articles: What is the smallest animal in the worldand what is the smartest bird.

Which is the strongest force in the world?

The strong nuclear force (the strong nuclear interaction) is the most powerful of nature's four fundamental forces. It's 6,000 quadrillion plus times more strong than gravity (that's 39 zeroes after six!). However, the powerful force becomes weaker as subatomic particles draw closer together, unlike any other basic force. According to Fermilab, it achieves its highest strength when the particles are the farthest apart.

Gluons are massless charged bosons that convey the strong force between quarks and keep them "glued" together once they're in close proximity. The strong residual force works between proton and neutron and is a minuscule portion of the strong force. Because of their comparable charges, protons in the nucleus oppose one another, but the strong residual force overcomes this repulsion, keeping the particles bonded in the nucleus of an atom.

The strong nuclear force is what secures atomic nuclei, as well as any individual proton and neutron, together. The powerful force holds the quarks that make up protons and neutrons together, and it also holds the proton and neutron of an atom's nucleus together. Like the weak force, the strong force is only active when subatomic particles are extremely near to one another. According to the Hyper Physics website, they have to be within 10-15 meters of each other or around the diameter of a proton.

It works between two neutron or nucleon particles, but only if they are very near together. The strong nuclear force between two nucleons is roughly ten times higher than the repulsive electric force between two protons when they are within one fermi(10-15) of each other.

Why is nuclear force the strongest force on Earth?

The strong force, as its name indicates, is the most powerful of the four forces. That's because it brings together the smallest bits of matter to produce larger ones. The strong nuclear force, which overcomes the enormous repulsion between similarly charged particles residing in atom nuclei, is named after electromagnetic force, which repels two positive charges. Whenever the strong nuclear force that connects neutrons and protons in an atom is disturbed, extremely high-energy photons are released.

When atomic nuclei collide or split apart, their mass changes regularly; an energy shift accompanies this mass change. Nuclear forces, both weak and strong, allow nuclear fission energy to generate devastating nuclear weapons and power.

Astronomers studying slightly elevated gamma-ray radiation and X-ray study what happens when the strong and weak nuclear interactions in atom nuclei break down. The electromagnetic force attracts molecules together, but ultra-high events like exploding stars and combining black holes can cause molecules to pummelled together and release an elevated photon. Understanding how galaxies, stars, and planets are formed, how they work overtime, and how they convert into neutron stars and black holes requires a thorough understanding of high radiation levels.

Toy gyroscope spinning and balancing on a wooden table

Is gravity or electromagnetic force stronger?

Gravity is the least powerful of the four basic forces. Although the gravitational force is weak, it has a considerable short-range. In addition, it is constantly appealing. Because mass is its source, it may act between any two molecules of matter in the Universe.

The two protons are attracted to each other by gravity since they each have mass. When two protons are held very close together, they exert several forces on each other. The two protons are attracted to each other by gravity since they each have mass. Because they both have a positive electric charge, they repel each other electromagnetically. They also have an inherent "color" charge, which attracts them via the strong nuclear force. Because the strong nuclear force is the most powerful at short distances. It triumphs over the other forces, causing the two protons to get entangled and form a helium nucleus (a neutron is usually required to make a helium nucleus stable). At the atomic level, gravity is so weak that scientists usually disregard it without making serious mistakes in their computations.

On cosmic scales, however, gravity triumphs over the other forces. This is because gravity has an extensive range of factors, and the negative mass does not exist. As the two things experiencing the force get increasingly distanced, the force fades down. For each force, the pace at which it dies out is different. The strong and weak nuclear force has a very low range, which means they drop to zero outside of the tiny nucleus of atoms. The incredibly narrow range of nuclear forces causes the nuclei of atoms to be extremely small.

Some places in the world have less gravity in nature. Santa Cruz, California's Mystery Spot, is a place where gravity does not exist.

Why is gravity the weakest force?

Gravity is a weak force since it has a very tiny measurement; for example, it is 1040 times weaker than the electromagnetic force that keeps atoms together. Gravity is the weakest force, but only at the subatomic level when other forces like electromagnetism and strong and weak nuclear forces take control. (Electromagnetism tells us as a force of attraction between any particle caused by electric charge.)

Gravity is weaker than the electromagnetic force that keeps atoms together, which is 1040 times weaker. According to string theorists' best hypotheses, gravity is weak because it seeps in and out of these additional dimensions, unlike the other forces. The Hoover Dam in Nevada, USA, is one such area where gravity appears to be non-existent.

Gravity is the phenomenon that occurs when typically straight paths begin to bend while approaching a massive mass such as mercury and all of the universe's bodies. The stronger the gravity well, which results from a more massive body, the greater curvature in the would-be straight trajectory. To calculate how much gravity there is, we employ arithmetic; gravity is determined by the object's mass and the inverse square distance from it at which space-time finds itself. Because of the centrifugal force built by the Earth's rotation and because sites on the equator are furthest from the Earth's core, the force of gravity is weakest near the equator. Otherwise, you can see gravity's force at the macro-scale action, generating objects like galaxies, stars, and planets, but not the other forces. Those forces are only visible at a small level, yet they have a large impact.

Because particles of little mass, such as atoms and any other subatomic particle, have negligible gravitational attraction between them, the gravitational force is precisely proportional to the mass of the objects between which it operates. Newton's universal law of gravity demonstrates this. Because the mass increases by an exceedingly small value that pushes the decimal point left 11 times, your own body does not force things to orbit your head.

The electromagnetic force is regarded as a powerful force. Particle spin provides a strong, attractive force at close range or near objects. Moving through the vacuum gives any particle its spin. We get angular momentum (acceleration) from this, and the smaller an item is, the higher its potential acceleration. When entities like atoms bind together due to the electromagnetic force, it requires an equal and opposite amount of accelerated energy to separate them. Everything starts to co-align when we see gravity as a vacuum physics effect. Molecules, like electrons and photons, are so small that we can't see them directly (electrons are a very light and stable subatomic particle.). We can sense their physical properties in accelerated spin and mass thanks to their energy fingerprints (waveform or frequencies). We may also see how gravitational force, or vacuum, affects their directional vectors.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for What Is The Strongest Force On Earth? Fun Physics Force Facts For Kids, then why not take a look at What Height Is Considered Short? Curious Height Facts Answered!, or What Grows On Palm Trees? Fascina

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Written by Oluwatosin Michael

Bachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

Oluwatosin Michael picture

Oluwatosin MichaelBachelor of Science specializing in Microbiology

With a Bachelor's in Microbiology from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oluwatosin has honed his skills as an SEO content writer, editor, and growth manager. He has written articles, conducted extensive research, and optimized content for search engines. His expertise extends to leading link-building efforts and revising onboarding strategies. 

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