Consider the interaction forces between two protons separated by a distance of the order of 1 femtometer ($10^{-15}m$). The correct order of the strengths of the electromagnetic, gravitational and nuclear forces acting between them is

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (d) Nuclear > Electromagnetic > Gravitational

Explanation:

At the distance of 1 femtometer (10⁻¹⁵ m), which is roughly the size of an atomic nucleus, the Strong Nuclear Force is the strongest force.
It is about 100 times stronger than the Electromagnetic Force.

The Electromagnetic Force causes the protons to repel each other due to their positive charges, but at this very short range, the nuclear force overcomes this repulsion and keeps the nucleus stable.

The Gravitational Force is by far the weakest of the fundamental forces and is negligible at the atomic or nuclear scale.

Information Booster:

• Strong Nuclear Force is a short-range force (only effective up to about 10⁻¹⁵ m).

• The relative strengths of forces are approximately:
  Strong (1) : Electromagnetic (10⁻²) : Weak (10⁻¹³) : Gravitational (10⁻³⁸)

Additional Knowledge:

Gravitational > Electromagnetic (Option a) is incorrect because gravity is the weakest force in nature, especially for subatomic particles.

So, the correct answer is (d).