Particle Physics

Question 1

What is the charge of a proton relative to the electron?

Answer 1

Exactly opposite.

Question 2

What are Hadrons?

Answer 2

One of the 2 main groups of particles.
Made of quarks so are not fundamental.
Affected by the strong nuclear force.

Question 3

What are Baryons?

Answer 3

Baryons are a type of Hadron.
Made of 3 quarks.
Include protons and neutrons.
Also include Sigma Particles (Any 3 quarks, one must be a strange quark).
All eventually decay into protons.

Question 4

State a use of radioactive isotopes.

Answer 4

Carbon Dating - The proportion of carbon-14 in a material can be used to estimate its age.

Question 5

What are mesons?

Answer 5

Quark - Antiquark structure.
Unstable (Don’t decay into Protons).
Pions - Exchange particle for ‘Strong Nuclear Force’.
Kaons - Short lifetime, have strange quark, decay into pions.
Includes other mesons.

Question 6

What are Leptons?

Answer 6

Fundamental.
Not affected by ‘Strong Nuclear Force’.
Can change into other leptons via weak interaction.
Electrons/Positrons.
Muons.
Neutrinos/Antineutrinos.

Question 7

What is resistivity?

Answer 7

A measure of how difficult it is for current to flow through a material.
Measured in ohmic metres.