But that's my point. If the strength of the force is constant, independent of distance, then the farther away quarks contribute the same as the nearer quarks.

But that's my point. If the strength of the force is constant, independent of distance, then the farther away quarks contribute the same as the nearer quarks. In other words, distance doesn't matter, whether something's farther away or closer has no bearing on the strength of the force.