Question

Which force is the weakest of all the fundamental forces?
A. Weak nuclear forces
B. Strong nuclear forces
C. Gravitational forces
D. Electromagnetic forces.

Answer 1

Hint: The Strong Nuclear Force is an attractive force between protons and neutrons that keep the nucleus together. Whereas Weak Nuclear Force is the one which is responsible for the radioactive decay of certain nuclei. Gravitational force is the force of attraction between two masses separated by some distance. Electromagnetic forces are the forces of interaction between two charged particles.

Complete step-by-step answer:
We will now see the different types of forces in detail:
A. Weak nuclear forces –It’s a type of force, which acts between heavy radioactive material or elements such as radium, indium, etc. This force is weak in nature. Due to this, we get radioactive decay called nuclear fission, which we use to harness energy.
B. Strong nuclear forces – Strong nuclear force is the force by which protons and neutrons are bound together in the nucleus. This force is so strong that the size of the nucleus gets smaller and smaller so that the density of the nucleus becomes very high. This force is the strongest in nature.
C. Gravitational forces – Gravitational force is the force of attraction which any two masses in the universe feels towards each other. This is the weakest of all. One more reason of this force being weak is that in its formula ($F = \dfrac{GMm}{r^2}$), we have a constant called ‘G’ is very small, which equals $6.674 \times 10^{-11} m^3 kg^{-1}s^{-2}$. Hence the overall force becomes weakest.
D. Electromagnetic forces. – This force is responsible for the interaction of charged particles like atoms and molecules. This force is important because it’s responsible for the bonding of elements and forming stable compounds.
So, the correct answer is “Option C”.

Note: All the forces are very important in the functioning of the universe. Without the presence of any of the above, this universe can’t work. For example Solar energy, which is very important is due to nuclear forces. In fact the sun, which binds all planets in the universe together is due to gravitational forces. And all the planets have matter and many elements, which is due to electromagnetic forces.