weak interactions

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weak interactions

weak interactions actions between elementary particles mediated, or carried, by W and Z particles and that are responsible for nuclear decay. Weak interactions are one of four fundamental interactions in nature, the others being gravitation , electromagnetism, and the strong interactions .

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weak nuclear force

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

weak nuclear force (weak interaction) One of the four fundamental forces in physics. It causes radioactive beta decay of particles. This weak force is carried by intermediate vector bosons, elementary particles that are also called weakons. Being of very short range, the weak nuclear force can be observed only in the subatomic realm. It is weaker than the electromagnetic force and the strong nuclear force (the strongest of the forces) but stronger than gravitation.

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W and Z particles

W and Z particles elementary particles that mediate, or carry, the fundamental force associated with weak interactions . The discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland, in the early 1980s was an important confirmation of electroweak theory, which unifies the electromagnetic and weak forces. The W and Z particles are quite massive for elementary particles; they are roughly 100 times as massive as the proton.

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

	Unification of interactions in discrete spacetime. Magazine article from: Progress in Physics; 1/1/2006
	A unified theory of interaction: gravitation, electrodynamics and the strong force.(Report) Magazine article from: Progress in Physics; 1/1/2009
	Protein-Lipid Interactions: From Membrane Domains to Cellular Networks.(Brief Article)(Book Review) Magazine article from: SciTech Book News; 3/1/2006

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