Listen & Learn: Fundamental Forces
4th December 2024 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- matter: any type of physical material
- massive: having a lot of matter
- bend: to change the shape of something
- attraction: a force that draws things together
- repulsion: a force that pulls things apart
- nucleus: the centre of an atom
- unified: together as one
- prove: to show that something is true
Listening activity
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- The theory that explains gravity is
a. special relativity
b. general relativity
c. quantum mechanics - Gravity is
a. the strongest force
b. the second strongest force
c. the weakest force - The electromagnetic force
a. changes particle types
b. holds particles together in the nucleus of an atom
c. controls the attraction and repulsion of charged particles
Discussion/essay questions
- Unifying the forces is one part of a big problem for scientists. Scientists use two theories to explain the universe: relativity and quantum theory. These theories have different laws. Scientists hope to find a “theory of everything” that uses the same laws to explain all things. Do you think it is possible for humans to discover the theory of everything? Why or why not?
Transcript
The fundamental forces are the four basic forces that control interactions of matter. The most well-known force is gravity. This is the force that draws large objects together. The theory that explains gravity is Einstein’s theory of general relativity. General relativity states that massive objects bend space and time, which causes other objects to fall toward them. However, gravity is the weakest force. The other forces are the electromagnetic force, the weak nuclear force, and the strong nuclear force. These forces work on small particles. The electromagnetic force controls the attraction and repulsion of charged particles, like protons and electrons. The weak nuclear force can change one particle into another type of particle. The strong nuclear force holds particles together in the nucleus of an atom. Scientists believe that at the beginning of time, all four forces were unified. This is difficult to prove, because the laws of general relativity don’t work at small scales. This means that there is no current theory that can unify gravity with the other forces.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2c 3c