Final answer:
Leptons do not feel the strong nuclear force because they do not have a color charge, which is required for interaction mediated by gluons, the carriers of the strong force. Unlike hadrons, leptons are not composed of quarks and therefore only interact via the weak nuclear force, and gravitational and electromagnetic forces if charged.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question 'Why do leptons not feel the strong nuclear force?' pertains to the fundamental interactions between subatomic particles. The answer to this question is that leptons do not feel the strong nuclear force because they have no color charge. We can better understand this by exploring the distinction between hadrons and leptons.
Hadrons, such as protons and neutrons, are particles that are affected by the strong nuclear force. This force is mediated by gluons, which interact with particles that contain quarks. Quarks have a property known as color charge, which is unrelated to visual color but is a way of describing the strong force interaction. In contrast, leptons, which include electrons, muons, tau particles, and neutrinos, do not contain quarks or possess a color charge and thus do not interact via the strong nuclear force.
It's important to note that while hadrons feel both the strong and weak nuclear forces, leptons are only affected by the weak nuclear force, in addition to the gravitational and electromagnetic forces if they carry an electric charge. The differentiation between quarks having fractional charges and leptons having integral charges is related to their fundamental properties and the way they interact with other particles and forces.