Collision of Particles: What Force Causes Repulsion?

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The discussion centers on the forces responsible for particle repulsion during collisions, particularly focusing on macroscopic bodies and neutrons. It highlights that intermolecular forces cause repulsion at close distances, while attractive forces dominate at larger distances, as described in the Feynman lectures. The conversation also questions the nature of the force that causes neutrons to bounce off each other, suggesting that the quarks within neutrons, which are electrically charged, may play a role. Additionally, there is curiosity about how the "size" of a particle is defined, pondering whether it relates to the strength of the surrounding field or other factors. Understanding these forces and definitions is crucial for grasping particle interactions in physics.
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I'm reading this chapter on collision of particles and it's bugging me that they do not explain the nature of the force responsible for the repulsion betweeen the two particle when they meet. I thought about it and figured that in the case of collision of macroscopic bodies, it was the intermolecular force that is responsible for the repulsion. I read about this force in the Feyman lectures; it is vigorously repulsive past a certain distance but attractive and varying inversely with the 7th power (!) of the distance at large distances.

But what about the force responsible for collision between neutrons? What force makes them bounce off each other?
 
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I'm not sure about this, but the fact that neutrons are made up quarks (which are electrically charged) could explain this. In a related note, how is the "size" of a particle defined? Is it related to the strength of the field around it, or is there something else that defines it?
 

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