The force is strong

Abstract

Introductory physics courses cover the gravitational and electromagnetic force in some detail, but the strong and weak nuclear forces are often given only a cursory treatment. This paper presents some ideas for teaching students about the strong force using practical hands-on demonstrations and using the strong force potential in teaching certain aspects of calculus. A good analogy to the strong force is to place a strong magnet on a metal whiteboard. The magnet must be very close to the board for the magnet to stick to the metal exemplifying the short range of the strong force. Another analogy that can easily be demonstrated in the classroom is placing two cylindrical magnets with facing like poles in a vertically oriented Perspex tube. Velcro is another analogy since the strong force acts over such a short range it is essentially a contact force. The plot of the strong force versus distance and strong potential versus distance is a practical way of teaching students the reciprocal relationship between differentiation and integration. The Reid potential model of the strong interaction (Reid 1968 Ann. Phys., NY 50 411–448) is a good example of differentiating and integrating exponential functions. A calculation is included that shows that the strong force is approximately 100 times stronger than the electromagnetic force. A link between the strong force and Heisenberg uncertainty principle is also made.