Is the weak nuclear force really a force?

The weak nuclear force is often said to be the cause of some forms of radioactivity, but is it a force in the traditional sense? In this video, Fermilab's Dr. Don gives us a deeper dive into how the weak force works. It's a mind-blowing interaction in the subatomic world.

Fermilab physics 101:

Fermilab home page:

[whatdamath]

this is great! I'll be referencing this video when I need to cut corners with the weak force from now on

[calmeilles]

The "deeper dives" into these subjects are always the most fascinating. I'd like to see more.

[GabrielGABFonseca]

Honestly, I would genuinely appreciate a longer video going more in-depth about the Weak Force.

[KafkaExMachina]

Now I am extremely intrigued to know how the electroweak force was discovered and what the combination of the two forces as actually the same force means when talking about particle interactions.

[Zodiaczero]

For those still puzzled by the concept of mass uncertainty, the Heisenberg uncertainty principle states that the duration in time and uncertainty in a particle's energy are connected through a constant, ΔE Δt ≥ ħ/2. Additionally, as Einstein demonstrated with his famous equation E=mc², mass can be understood as a measurement of energy. Consequently, mass also carries inherent uncertainty.

This implies that the shorter a particle's lifespan, the wider the spread of its probability function becomes. Considering the weak boson particles, which decay rapidly, their mass also becomes probabilistic. Interestingly, even photons, conventionally regarded as massless, can exhibit mass if they engage in an interaction involving highly energetic photons that decay into a pair of matter and antimatter electrons. Thus, the transient photon, although typically short-lived, may acquire mass due to the inherent uncertainty.

[Starchface]

Dr. Don, more "deep dives" would be great. I always learn something from your videos. The production and the presentation are excellent. Thanks so much for the magnificent content all these years. You are appreciated!

[sydhenderson]

Weak interactions tend to take a long time because of what you said...except for the top quark, which decays so rapidly that it doesn't have time to form hadrons. The reason for this is that has more mass than two W and/or Z particles in their normal mass range so it doesn't have to rely on the low probability of producing them that the lower-mass quarks do. It does so directly, and since the speed of a force depends on the mass of the force boson, the reaction is far faster than the strong interaction.

[stirlingblackwood]

Great video! I have so many questions!!

1) If every fundamental particle has a range of possible masses, does each particle have a specific, definite mass prior to observation? Or is its mass fundamentally probabilistic like the position of an electron prior to observation? And what does this have to do with the Higgs field/boson? (This topic might merit a whole other video).

2) What causes quarks to decay by emitting W bosons? And what is the order of decay? You mentioned that a top quark becomes a bottom quark which in turn becomes a charm quark. Can a charm quark then emit a W+ boson to become a strange quark, which can emit a W- boson to become an up quark, and then a final W+ to become a down quark? Can lower-mass particles ever absorb W bosons to become more massive particles, or does it only go one way?

3) What about Z bosons!? You barely mentioned them!

[jardel_lucca]

I can't emphasize enough how I love Dr. Don charismatic, very well didactic videos. I've been following for years

[kronkite]

Yes, more of these deeper dives please. This is excellent, so clear I could happily use it with my son.

[COTU]

The other weak force you don't hear physicist's mention is the Bar force. It's supposed to keep me from picking up a candy bar when I'm trying to lose weight. It rarely shows up but when it does, it has to be pretty strong to work.

[thomasdjonesn]

This was a far better way to learn about it than either simply reading about it or trying to make sense of static drawings. I certainly appreciate it, it helps me grasp the concept better.

[kuretinao]

Don, thank you so much! I've been asking this question for such a long time and couldn't really get a straight answer! Now I have one! Great topic and, as always, great video!

[Tletna]

Yes, I'd love to watch/listen to a deeper dive on the Weak Force, please! Thanks for the video.

[SayWhatYouMeanMeanWhatYouSay]

YES! Thanks a million, Don, I understood this on a whole new level now.
I love this kind of "deep-dive" video; it's short, to the point and understandable. 🏆 PERFECT!

[seionne]

Less than ten minutes and I learned more than hours of lectures. Thank you for these Dr. Lincoln

[mrtienphysics]

Thanks Don, you are an expert who can explain. Very rare on the internet.

[sapelesteve]

Now that was a very strong elucidation of the weak force Dr. Don! Well done! 👍👍💥💥

[mheermance]

This was a really interesting video. The notion that a lightweight W boson is possible, but rare, and is required for the interaction is just plain amazing.

[markschmidley]

Mr. Schmid's 1st period AP Physics (2) class loved this video!!