Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Geezer on 06/02/2010 03:11:48
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There are many different "forces" known to physics, e.g., gravitational, magnetic, electric, strong, weak...
We can describe the effects of these forces quite well. In the case of gravity we have theories to explain how the apparent forces arise.
Are the means of transmission of these forces independent of one another, or do they share common underlying mechanisms?
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The transmission of forces are mediated by Photons,W-bosons,Gluon's,and Gravitons (hypothetical) all of varying strengths.
It is postulated that at the temperatures appertaining at the 'big bang' the strengths of all these were equal but they have since diverged.
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There are many different "forces" known to physics, e.g., gravitational, magnetic, electric, strong, weak...
We can describe the effects of these forces quite well. In the case of gravity we have theories to explain how the apparent forces arise.
Are the means of transmission of these forces independent of one another, or do they share common underlying mechanisms?
I think your question is similar to the question: how can we unify all the known forces? It's a lot of time they are trying to do it... [;)]
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Thanks Syhprum and Lightarrow.
Yes. I'm sure it's the eternal question! I kind of wonder, if particles produce the forces, what produces the forces that keep the particles together. e.g. what glues a gluon together? Where will it all end?
As gravity can be explained in terms of matter distorting spacetime, are there schools of thought that propose the other forces might also be the result of further manipulations of spacetime? It's beginning to sound like String Theory.
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Thanks Syhprum and Lightarrow.
Yes. I'm sure it's the eternal question! I kind of wonder, if particles produce the forces, what produces the forces that keep the particles together. e.g. what glues a gluon together?
The current theory says that the fundamental particles can't be subdivided, so nothing has to keep them together--they're the smallest things in the theory!
As gravity can be explained in terms of matter distorting spacetime, are there schools of thought that propose the other forces might also be the result of further manipulations of spacetime? It's beginning to sound like String Theory.
People have tried to put theories like that together, but gravity is the only force that seems to be described by the curvature of four-dimensional space time. The problem with electromagnetism is that it's both attractive and repulsive, and the other forces are even more complex. String theory has had to introduce extra dimensions to explain the other forces geometrically.
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Thanks Syhprum and Lightarrow.
Yes. I'm sure it's the eternal question! I kind of wonder, if particles produce the forces, what produces the forces that keep the particles together. e.g. what glues a gluon together?
The current theory says that the fundamental particles can't be subdivided, so nothing has to keep them together--they're the smallest things in the theory!
Well, yes. Naturally it would. But it wasn't that long ago when current theory said that atoms were the smallest particles [;D]