A fundamental force is one which does not arise from any other forces.
There are four fundamental forces:
The reason why the srtong and the weak force have been unknown until recently is because they have a finite range over which they act, with distances smaller than the diameter of the atom (~10-10m).
The table below shows the range of each of the forces and their relative strength:
Force | Range (m) | Rel. Strength/Strong |
---|---|---|
Strong | 10-15 | 1 |
Electromagnetic | ¥ | ~10-3 |
Weak Force | 10-17 | ~10-5 |
Gravity | ¥ | ~10-38 |
Each of these forces is carried by force carriers