The electromagnetic force is the second strongest of the four known fundamental forces. It operates with infinite range.[16] All other forces (e.g., friction, contact forces) are derived from these four fundamental forces and they are known as non-fundamental forces.[17] At high energy, the weak force and electromagnetic force are unified as a single interaction called the electroweak interaction.[18]
Representation of the electric field vector of a wave of circularly polarized electromagnetic radiation
Roughly speaking, all the forces involved in interactions between atoms can be explained by the electromagnetic force acting between the electrically charged atomic nuclei and electrons
of the atoms. Electromagnetic forces also explain how these particles
carry momentum by their movement. This includes the forces we experience
in "pushing" or "pulling" ordinary material objects, which result from
the intermolecular forces that act between the individual molecules in our bodies and those in the objects. The electromagnetic force is also involved in all forms of chemical phenomena.
A necessary part of understanding the intra-atomic and
intermolecular forces is the effective force generated by the momentum
of the electrons' movement, such that as electrons move between
interacting atoms they carry momentum with them. As a collection of
electrons becomes more confined, their minimum momentum necessarily
increases due to the Pauli exclusion principle.
The behaviour of matter at the molecular scale including its density is
determined by the balance between the electromagnetic force and the
force generated by the exchange of momentum carried by the electrons
themselves.[19]
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