Is weak nuclear force attractive or repulsive?

Generally speaking, the weak nuclear force is what converts protons into neutrons or vice versa; it also holds true for more exotic particles that contain charm, strange, up, and down quarks.

A neutron, which has one up quark and two down quarks, transforms into a proton, which has two up quarks and one down quark, when an atom experiences beta decay.

Thus, the weak force—which is essential to radioactive decay and the nuclear fusion process occurring in stars—is not a force in the sense of attraction and repulsion.

Unlike electromagnetism, which can be either repulsive or attractive depending on the charge of the particles involved, the weak nuclear force is always regarded as a short-range force that is predominantly attractive. It is a fundamental force of nature that causes some forms of radioactive decay. It is primarily associated with the exchange of W and Z bosons between particles.