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Forces:



Date: Sat, 15 Nov 1997 14:47:44 -0800 (PST)
From: John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPomona.Edu>
Subject: Re: forces

With regard to "the four forces" ...

Isn't it really time to start saying "the three forces"?

John
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I know you are being sarcastic. Who am I to make a decision of that
kind? Didn't people who know so much more than I discover such things
as -W, +W and Zo bosons which, as they say, "mediate week forces".
I just want to know which particles interact by exchanging these very
heavy bosons (91 GeV for Zo, for example) and what are dirctions of
forces.

I know that my background is not sufficient to understand their physics.
But is this not true for at least 99% of those who teach introductory
physics courses (high schools and universities)? I may be wrong, please
do not be insulted. Even if the number is only 75%, or 50%, my question
is valid:

WHY DO ELEMENTARY TEXTBOOKS INSIST THAT THERE ARE ONLY FOUR FUNDAMENTAL
FORCES? How can I explain this to students without being Aristotelian?

Ludwik Kowalski
P.S.
I think that experts would say that a "strong" force between nucleons
is attractive at longer distances and repulsive at short distances. The
repusion, they would add, is due to the Pauli principle. The strong force
does not trouble me (as long as I treat nucleons as elementary particles
and as long as I am not asked which potential is more realistic and why).
But the weak force does. Can somebody share a good way of teaching about
week forces?