Is the strong/weak force infinite like electromagnetism

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SUMMARY

The strong and weak nuclear forces are short-range interactions, unlike electromagnetism, which operates over infinite distances but diminishes with distance. The weak force is mediated by W and Z bosons, which have significant mass (80 GeV and 90 GeV, respectively), resulting in a range that can be calculated using the Compton wavelength formula. Specifically, the range of the weak force is approximately 0.0025 fermi (2.5 x 10-16 cm), indicating that it does not extend infinitely like electromagnetic forces.

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  • Understanding of particle physics concepts, particularly force interactions.
  • Familiarity with the properties of W and Z bosons.
  • Knowledge of Compton wavelength calculations.
  • Basic grasp of electromagnetic force behavior.
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  • Research the properties and roles of W and Z bosons in particle physics.
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Jarfi
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Electromagnetic forces go infinetly far but decrease dramatically by distance. I was wondering is the strong and weak force are Only within a certain zone with a radius or do they stretch infinetly far.

On wiki it says they have short range but it doesn't say if it ever stops completely.
 
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Jarfi, Electromagnetism and gravity are the two long-range forces. This is related to the fact that the particles that transmit their effects have mass zero. The weak force is a short-range force, which means it falls off exponentially. It is transmitted by a pair of particles, the W boson with mass around 80 GeV and the Z boson with mass 90 GeV. The range of a short-range force is related to the Compton wavelength of its particle, and can be directly calculated from the mass. All you have to do is divide the constant hc by the mass, where hc = 197.5 MeV-f. (A fermi 'f' is a unit of length, 10-13 cm and is roughly the size of an atomic nucleus.) So for the W boson we have 197.5 MeV-f/80 GeV, or about 0.0025 f. (Or about 2.5 x 10-16 cm.) Pretty small.
 
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