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JAINISM AND MODERN SCIENCE
10.3 FOUR FORCES IN NATURE
The four fundamental forces in Nature are gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear and strong nuclear. These are all thought to operate through gauge bosons. The particles interact via a gauge boson as a heavy snowball exchanged between two skaters; e.g. for two electrons (the skaters), the photon (the snowball) tells one electron of the presence of the other electron and then induces a response: this is the electro-magnetic force (see Fig. 10.2a). In the
outgoing electron
incoming electron
photon
Skater A
outgoing electron
snowball
incoming electron
Fig. 10.2 (a) Two electrons and their respective paths. Electro-magnetic force with its gauge boson 'photon' (zig-zag line).
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Skater B
Skater A
Skater B
Fig. 10.2 (b) Two skaters exchanging a snowball.
case of the two skaters, say A and B (Fig. 10.2b), skater A throws (emits) the snowball (photon) on skater B, who will be recoiled (the weak-force), after which the snowball disintegrates (is absorbed). These are Feynman diagrams.
Recall that the force acting between a proton and a neutron in the nucleus is a strong nuclear force (see Fig. 10.1). The strong nuclear force acts between the baryons through a coloured gluon (see Fig.
