5.5 “Fundamental” Particles

5.5 “Fundamental” Particles

Explanation:

Fundamental particles are the basic building blocks of matter that are not composed of other particles. The Standard Model of particle physics identifies three main categories of fundamental particles: quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons. Quarks combine to form protons and neutrons, while leptons include particles like electrons. Gauge bosons are force carriers, such as photons for electromagnetic force.

Key Concepts:

• Quarks: Fundamental particles that combine to form hadrons, such as protons and neutrons.
• Leptons: Fundamental particles that do not experience strong interaction, such as electrons.
• Gauge Bosons: Particles that mediate the fundamental forces of nature.

Example Problem:

Problem: What are the quark compositions of a proton and a neutron?

Solution:

• A proton is composed of two up quarks and one down quark.
• A neutron is composed of one up quark and two down quarks .