The Standard Model describes two types of particles. You have studied one of these groups, the matter particles with quarks and leptons. Here you will learn about the second group, the force carrying particles, which explain how matter particles interact with each other. As before gravity is excluded, since it is not a part of the Standard Model.

The force carrying particles are:

• the photon (electromagnetism)
• 8 gluons (strong interaction)
• 3 vector bosons (weak interaction)

We often use the term "interaction" instead of "force" since the weak force acts in way that differs from our intuitive understanding of how a force behaves.

Before we in detail study the three kinds of interaction, we shall look closer at the concept "mediator"