strong force

American  

noun

Physics.

1. Also called nuclear force.  the short-range attractive force between baryons that holds together the nucleus of the atom.

2. Also called color force.  the force between quarks.

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strong force Scientific  

/ strông /

1. The fundamental force that mediates interactions between particles with color charge, such as quarks and gluons. The strong force binds quarks together to form baryons such as protons and neutrons, maintains the binding of protons and neutrons together in atomic nuclei, and is responsible for many particle decay processes. Particles that interact through the strong force exchange gluons, much as particles involved in electromagnetic interactions exchange photons. Quark color, but not flavor, is changed by the exchange of gluons. The strong force is stronger than the weak force, the electromagnetic force, and gravity, but has been known to apply only across distances the size of atomic nuclei or smaller.

2. Also called color force strong interaction, strong nuclear force

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strong force Cultural  

1. In physics, the force that holds particles together in the atomic nucleus and the force that holds quarks together in elementary particles.

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Discover More

As the name implies, this is the strongest force known in nature.

Etymology

Origin of strong force

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Manifestations of this strong force are called gluons, which are thought to contribute to the proton's spin.

From Science Daily • May 24, 2024

The electromagnetic force is conveyed by the photon, the strong force by the gluon, and the weak force by particles called the W boson and Z boson.

From Science Magazine • Mar. 27, 2024

“Christmas is such a strong force at this time of year,” Melody says.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 21, 2023

Freese suspects the strong force would join them if particle accelerators could reach energies high enough to simulate the even hotter, even younger universe in which the particles mediating the strong force would appear.

From Scientific American • Aug. 19, 2023

That’s why the nuclei of atoms are so compacted and dense and why elements with big, crowded nuclei tend to be so unstable: the strong force just can’t hold on to all the protons.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson