College Physics (7th Edition)

Published by Pearson
ISBN 10: 0-32160-183-1
ISBN 13: 978-0-32160-183-4

Chapter 30 - Nuclear Reactions and Elementary Particles - Learning Path Questions and Exercises - Conceptual Questions - Page 1029: 17

Answer

The range of the strong nuclear force is around 100 times greater than the range of weak nuclear force. The range varies inversely with the mass of the exchange particle. So the mass of the short-range weak force exchange particle should be greater than mass of the long-range strong force exchange particle. The ratio of the masses of the particles should be on the order of 100 to 1000 times, since $\frac{m_{W}}{m_{S}}=\frac{R_{S}}{R_{W}}\approx\frac{10^{-15}m}{10^{-17}m}\approx100$

Work Step by Step

The range of the strong nuclear force is around 100 times greater than the range of weak nuclear force. The range varies inversely with the mass of the exchange particle. So the mass of the short-range weak force exchange particle should be greater than mass of the long-range strong force exchange particle. The ratio of the masses of the particles should be on the order of 100 to 1000 times, since $\frac{m_{W}}{m_{S}}=\frac{R_{S}}{R_{W}}\approx\frac{10^{-15}m}{10^{-17}m}\approx100$
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