In everyday life we see the effects of gravitational forces. Relatively speaking, these are among the weakest forces in nature.
We see electrical forces on occasion -- lightning storms, static discharges during dry weather, and electrical devices. Though we speak of magnetic forces as distinct from electical forces, these two are inextricably linked. Magnetic forces result from electrical forces, and we speak of electromagnetic fields.
Two fundamental forces hold nuclei together: the strong force (strong interaction), and the weak force (weak interaction).
Gravity and electromagnetic forces are action-at-a-distance forces; they never disappear. The strong interaction and weak interaction are short range forces. As soon as two particles are separated by even a small distance, these forces become zero. A way to think about this is to say that these forces operate only when the particles touch or nearly touch.
An understanding of the quantized subatomic particles has led to the Standard Model. These links contain similar materials about subatomic particles and the standard model including information about forces holding the particles together. Several are included because the topic is so important and some sites have changed addresses in the past. Please select one and read all pages about the subatomic particles and forces.
Three descriptions of the "standard model."
Standard model.
