only four (well, generally four - more on that later) types of interactions: Gravity Electromagnetism Weak Interaction (or

Weak Nuclear Force) Strong Interaction (or Strong Nuclear Force) Gravity Of these forces, gravity has the furthest reach but it's the weakest in actual m agnitude. It is a purely attractive force which reaches through even the "empty" void of s pace to draw two masses toward each other. It keeps the planets in orbit around the sun and the moon in orbit around the Earth. Gravitation is described under the theory of general relativity, which defines i t as the curvature of spacetime around an object of mass. This curvature, in tur n, creates a situation where the path of least energy is toward the other object of mass. Electromagnetism Electromagnetism is the interaction of particles with an electrical charge. Char ged particles at rest interact through electrostatic forces, while in motion the y interact through both electrical and magnetic forces. For a long time, the electric and magnetic forces were considered to be differen t forces, but they were finally unified by James Clerk Maxwell in 1864, under Ma xwell's equations. In the 1940s, quantum electrodynamics consolidated electromag netism with quantum physics. Electromagnetism is perhaps the most obviously prevalent force in our world, as it can affect things at a reasonable distance and with a fair amount of force. Weak Interaction The weak interaction is a very powerful force that acts on the scale of the atom ic nucleus. It causes phenomena such as beta decay. It has been consolidated wit h electromagnetism as a single interaction called the "electroweak interaction." Strong Interaction The strongest of the forces is the aptly-named strong interaction, which is the force that, among other things, keeps nucleons (protons & neutrons) bound togeth er. In the helium atom, for example, it is strong enough to bind two protons tog ether despite the fact that their positive electrical charges cause them to repu lse each other. In essence, the strong interaction allows particles called gluons to bind togeth er quarks to create the nucleons in the first place. Gluons can also interact wi th other gluons, which gives the strong interaction a theoretically infinite dis tance, although it's major manifestations are all at the subatomic level.