Question

The weakest force of interaction among all the classified forces are:
(a). Electrostatic forces
(b). Gravitational forces
(c). Weak nuclear forces
(d). Electromagnetic forces

Answer 1

- Hint: Recall different forces and their magnitude. Then study the forces given in question in detail. After that, compare them with the help of a few examples to find which force is minimum.

Complete step-by-step solution -

Different types of forces are:
Electrostatic force- It is the force between any two electrically charged bodies. It can be attractive in nature that is towards each other or repelling in nature that is away from each other. This force is also known as Coulomb’s force. It depends on the electric charge.
Gravitational force- It is the force acting between any two objects having mass and are at distance say r apart. It depends directly on the masses of two bodies and inversely on the square of the distance between them.
Weak nuclear force- It is the interaction between subatomic particles which can be responsible for the radioactive decay of particles. It is neither repulsive or attractive.
Electromagnetic force- It is the force acting between the charged particles. Here, both electric and magnetic force acts on particles. It depends on the medium.

According to above definitions, we can conclude that the weakest force of interaction among the above discussed four forces is the gravitational force because it acts on any two bodies having some mass and is separated by some distance.

Additional Information:
There are few other forces which are applied to bodies that are in contact with each other. These are called contact forces. They are:
Frictional force
Tension force
Normal force
Air-resistance force
Spring force

Note: Thinking about other options, the electric force is acting between electrically charged bodies, the weak nuclear force acts between subatomic particles, and the electromagnetic force acts between charged particles. Thus, all these forces are stronger and have a greater magnitude than the gravitational force.