How do force carrier particles exert attractive forces?

Subject: How do force carrier particles exert attractive forces?

Date: Fri Dec 3 18:03:42 1999
Posted by Sarah Wise
Grade level: teacher/prof School: Lick-Wilmerding H.S.
City: San Francisco, State/Province: CA Country: USA
Area of science: Physics
ID: 944265822.Ph

Message:


Long version of question:
How do force carrier particles such as gluons or photons exert attractive
forces? The analogy my students and I discussed to explain carrier 
particles in general was of two people tossing a basketball between them, 
the basketball being the carrier particle. But this only satisfies our 
intuition for explaining repulsive forces. Is there an explanation that 
explains attractive forces -- that 11/12th graders will understand?

Re: How do force carrier particles exert attractive forces?

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