weak force

noun

, Physics.

1. a force between elementary particles that causes certain processes that take place with low probability, as radioactive beta-decay and collisions between neutrinos and other particles.

weak force

/ wēk /

1. The fundamental force that acts between leptons and is involved in the decay of hadrons. The weak nuclear force is responsible for nuclear beta decay (by changing the flavor of quarks) and for neutrino absorption and emission. It is mediated by the intermediate vector bosons (the W boson and the Z boson), and is weaker than the strong nuclear force and the electromagnetic force but stronger than gravity. Some scientists believe that the weak nuclear force and the electromagnetic force are both aspects of a single force called the electroweak force.
2. Also called weak nuclear force weak interaction
3. Compare electromagnetic force

weak force

1. One of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is involved primarily in the phenomenon of radioactivity . ( See standard model and strong force .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of weak force¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

They believe these piles are bound together with very weak forces and mostly gravity, meaning they could break apart more easily than an asteroid that is a single boulder.

From Salon

Of the four fundamental forces, gravity and the weak force "are generally not important for materials," he says.

From Science Daily

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

Much as an electric field can overwhelm the weak force of gravity, so, too, can the warmth of a lonely atom.

From Scientific American

At extremely high energies, the electromagnetic force, which controls the behavior of charged particles such as electrons, and the weak force, which governs processes such as fission decays, are unified into one “electroweak” force.

From Scientific American