WEAK

There is one more interaction that needs explaining: Weak. Weak interactions are the only processes in which a quark can change to another quark, or a lepton to another lepton. When a lepton or quark changes type it is called changing flavor.


Weak interactions are responsible for the fact that all the more massive quarks and leptons decay to produce lighter quarks and leptons. When a particle decays, it disappears and in its place two or more particles appear. The sum of the masses of the produced particles is always less than the mass of the original particle. This is why stable matter around us contains only electrons and the lightest two quarks (up and down.)

The carrier particles of the weak interactions are the W+, W- and the Z bosons . The W's are electrically charged and the Z is neutral.

It was research in radioactivity that first revealed the existence of the weak interaction.

Which is the weakest interaction for quarks in a proton?

Electroweak Force Carrier Chart Interactions Chart