Fundamental Particles

Question 1

Why are protons and neutrons not fundamental particles?

Answer 1

They are made up of quarks - something smaller fits inside of them.

Question 2

What is a proton made up from?

Answer 2

2 up quarks and one down quark.

Question 3

What is a neutron made up from?

Answer 3

2 down quarks and one up quark.

Question 4

What is a hadron?

Answer 4

A particle that can feel the strong interaction and is made up of quarks.

Question 5

State the two types of hadron.

Answer 5

Baryons and mesons.

Question 6

Why are most hadrons not found in ordinary matter?

Answer 6

They are very unstable on only exist briefly.

Question 7

What is a baryon made up from?

Answer 7

Three quarks.

Question 8

Protons and neutrons are both types of…?

Answer 8

Baryons.

Question 9

How do we assign baryon numbers?

Answer 9

Baryons have a baryon number of +1, antibaryons have a baryon number of -1, and everything else has a baryon number of 0.

Question 10

What is a meson made up from?

Answer 10

1 quark and 1 antiquark.

Question 11

What is an antibaryon made up from?

Answer 11

Three antiquarks.

Question 12

What do mesons decay into?

Answer 12

Leptons and photons.

Question 13

Give two types of mesons.

Answer 13

Pions and kaons.

Question 14

What is the only stable baryon?

Answer 14

A proton.

Question 15

How many types of pion are there, and where were they first found?

Answer 15

Three - one for each single charge and one with a neutral charge. In cosmic rays.

Question 16

How many different kaons are there?

Answer 16

Three - one for each single charge and one with a neutral charge.

Question 17

Name a difference between pions and kaons.

Answer 17

Kaons are heavier than pions.

Question 18

How do mesons interact with baryons, and what interaction occurs?

Answer 18

Via strong interaction. They swap protons with neutrons and vice versa, and disappear.

Question 19

What are leptons?

Answer 19

They don’t feel the strong interaction.

Question 20

Name the three types of leptons.

Answer 20

Electrons, muons and taus.

Question 21

Which lepton is stable?

Answer 21

The electron.

Question 22

What do muons and taus decay into?

Answer 22

Electrons.

Question 23

What is the counterpart of a lepton called?

Answer 23

A neutrino.

Question 24

What is the charge on a lepton?

Answer 24

-1

Question 25

What is the charge on a lepton neutrino?

Answer 25

0

Question 26

What do neutrons decay into, and what can we call this decay?

Answer 26

Protons, electrons and antineutrinos. This is an example of beta decay.

Question 27

How many types of beta decay are there?

Answer 27

Two.

Question 28

What is beta minus decay?

Answer 28

A neutron turning into a proton via weak interaction of quarks that releases an electron and an electron antineutrino.

Question 29

What is beta plus decay?

Answer 29

A proton turning into a nuetron via weak interaction of quarks that releases a positron and an electron neutrino.

Question 30

Name the 6 types of quark.

Answer 30

Up, down, strange, top, bottom, charm.