Recently there were some off-list discussions of what we
mean by long-range forces, short-range forces, contact
forces, et cetera.
We start with an easy question: How can you have a
"long-range" force at all, given that special relativity
and basic notions of causality require everything to be
local in space and time?
Then: If you start talking to students about "interactions"
there is zero chance that they will understand what you
mean. It's a physics jargon term that is simultaneously
highly technical and rather nebulous. If you're careful
you can explain how a local, short-range, indeed zero-range
coupling can give rise to a long-range net interaction.
However, it's going to take a lot of explaining before
the students have any clue what you're talking about.
As a corollary, it is madness to try to classify things
as "objects" versus "interactions". In an electroscope,
you have electrons interacting via exchange of photons.
The size of atoms is determined by interactions that
involve the exchange of electrons. And when photons
pass near the sun, they interact with it via gravity.
So what's the object in one scenario is the interaction
in another.