Question

Range of weak nuclear force is
(1) ${10^{16}}m$
2) ${10^{10}}$
3) ${10^{ - 12}}$
4) ${10^{ - 18}}$

Answer 1

Hint The weak interaction at a particular range has a strength of a similar magnitude to the electromagnetic force, but it starts to decrease exponentially with increasing the distance. Also, the weak interactions have a very short effective range.

Complete step by step solution
The nuclear force: It is a force that acts between the protons and neutrons of atoms. Or in simple words, The nuclear force is the force that binds the protons and neutrons in a nucleus together. It can exist between protons and protons, neutrons and protons or neutrons and neutrons. This force is what holds the nucleus together.
The weak nuclear force has a very short effective range (around ${10^{ - 17}}$ to ${10^{ - 16}}m$) At distances around ${10^{ - 18}}m$, the weak interaction (weak nuclear force) has a strength of a similar magnitude to the electromagnetic force, but this starts decreasing exponentially with increasing distance. Scaled up by just one and a half orders of magnitude, at distances of around $3 \times {10^{ - 17}}m$ , the weak nuclear force or weak interaction becomes 10,000 times weaker.
The nuclear force is powerfully attractive between nucleons at distances of about 1 femtometre ($fm$, or ${10^{ - 15}}m$), but then it rapidly decreases to insignificance at distances beyond about $2.5fm$. But the nuclear force becomes repulsive at the distance less than $0.7fm$.

Correct answer is ${10^{ - 18}}$.

Note Nuclear force is one of the strongest forces. Nuclear weak forces are so named because even if it is stronger than gravity, it is only effective at very short distances, as the particles involved are so big, their travel is limited to the short distance.