The Forces that Shape the Universe

Abstract

The universe includes everything we observe, however there seems to exist also dark matter that is not directly observable.. We know stars, planets, galaxies. Forces determine the dynamics in the universe, i.e. the motion and interaction of galaxies, stars, planets, particles, and atoms. In this chapter we investigate which forces occur in the universe.

After reading you will understand why

• there are different forces like gravity or electromagnetism,

• structures in the universe are formed by the weakest force,

• atomic nuclei can exist at all,

• protons and neutrons are not elementary particles,

• forces are transmitted.

Surprisingly, there are four basic forces. Of course, the question arises why just four forces and not more or even only one basic force. The forces are very different in terms of their range and strength. It is the weakest of the four forces that determines the structure of the universe.