Weak coupling strength constant

[neelakash]

When it is said that the relative strength of weak interaction is \ 10^{-5},what does this mean?

On calculation I am getting \alpha_w=\10^{-3} with \ G_F=\ 1.16\times\ 10^{-5} \ GeV^{-2}

I had an impression that \alpha_w should be \ 10^{-5}.Which one is correct?

[hamster143]

"relative strength" is not a very well-defined concept. The ratio of weak to electromagnetic interaction strengths depends a lot on the energy scale.