Final answer:
The force of greatest concern, in the context of the four fundamental forces of physics, is situation-dependent. Gravity, while the weakest force on the subatomic level, has considerable effects on a larger scale. The strong attractive force, the strongest of the four, only acts over very short distances and does not unify masses at large.
Step-by-step explanation:
We are examining which force should be of greatest concern at this point, in relation to physics and its four fundamental forces. Looking at the information provided, gravity is a familiar force to us, especially in daily experiences such as falling, but it is the weakest force when it comes to interactions between elementary particles like protons. On the other hand, the strong attractive force, which is the strongest of the four forces, operates only over very short distances and therefore will not cause all masses to combine.
In physics, forces are not unified just because we want them to be, but under extreme conditions – such as very high density and temperature – forces like electromagnetism and the weak nuclear force have been observed to merge into the electroweak force. This points towards the complex efforts of physicists to find a Grand Unified Theory that could, one day, explain how all fundamental forces are related, although including gravity in this unification poses a significant challenge due to the effects it has on space-time.
When assessing external forces acting on an object or a situation, be it a student sitting at a table or markets in a global economy, we must rely upon Newton's laws to analyze the relationship between these forces. Each force can have significant effects based on the context but understanding the scale and range of each force helps us address the question of which force should be our biggest concern.