Particle Physics Classifications What You Need To Know

Look at this chart in the order numerically given in the red square brackets. Test inside the square brackets links to the objective you need to know.

Three Classes of Fundamental Particle [1- 12.3.4]
Three Classes of Observed Particle [2- 12.3.5]
 

1st Generation

(make up ordinary matter)

2nd Generation
3rd Generation
1. Leptons (6 types)
1 Leptons
 
electron
muon
tau
 
electron neutrino
muon neutrino
tau neurtino
2. Quarks (6 Types)
2 Hadrons (particles which interact by the strong force) Hadrons are made up of quarks, there are two types of hadrons listed below.
 
up
charm
top
Quarks are yet to be detected in isolation so we can only observe them in combinations called Hadrons
Mesons (made up of one quark and one antiquark)

[3- 12.3.6]

Baryons (made up of three quarks) These include the neutron and the proton.The neutron is made up of one up and two down quarks, the proton is made up of two up and one down quarks

 
down
strange
bottom
3. Exchange Bosons
3 Exchange Bosons
 
Gluon
Photon
W+ W- Z
Graviton (not yet observed)
 
(associated with strong force)
(associated with electo-magnetic force)
(associated with weak force)
(associated with force of gravity)
 
there is a colour charge (analogous to electric charge) which explains the strong force)
electoweak force (It is thought that there is a relationship between the electric force and the weak force. Perhaps a future theory may combine these forces) [6 - 12.3.3]
The force of gravity is so small that it is difficult to detect gravitons if they do exist.
 
[4- 12.3.7]
     

 

[5 - 12.3.1, 12.3.2] Corresponding to most types of particle there exists a corresponding antiparticle with the same mass but opposite charge. For each of the 6 types of leptons and 6 types of quarks there is a corresponding antiparticle. One example is the positron which is the antiparticle to the electron. If a particle and its corresponding antiparticle meet they can annihilate each other. In this annihilation all of the mass is converted into energy (eg. into gamma radiation). Electric charge is conserved in this annihilation and the mass is converted into energy with Einstein equation E=mc**2.

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