How do the four fundamental forces compare in strength?

Modern physics recognizes four fundamental forces: strong nuclear, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, and gravitational. The strong force binds quarks into protons and neutrons and is the strongest over tiny distances. Electromagnetism governs electric charge, light, and chemistry, while the weak force drives certain kinds of radioactive decay. Gravity is weakest of all in particle physics, but it dominates on large scales because it only adds up and never cancels. Exact comparison depends on the situation, but the strong force can be roughly 10^38 times stronger than gravity between elementary particles.