ERHS PHYSICS
Chapter 30.2 Notes Atomic Structure |
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If you haven't yet explored the Particle Adventure online, I highly recommend that you do. There are several groups of fundamental particles: Quarks.
Leptons
Force carrying particles for each of the four fundamental forces.
All of these particles are very tiny, and their masses are measured in their energy equivalent in electronvolts (eV) or mega electronvolts (MeV)
It is unknown for certain why there are 6 quarks and 6 leptons that seem to organize into three families (or generations), as described in the text. The fact that there are patterns in the existence of these particles suggests that there may be even smaller units which make them up. I.e., puzzles have pieces! The prevailing theory today is that there are in fact, tiny strings of matter, on the order of magnitude of 10-32 cm in length that make up the fundamental particles. These strings are continuous loops, and are not particles as such. They behave more like a looping rubber band, fluctuating predictably in shape. These specific fluctuations are what give the various fundamental particles their own particular natures and behaviours. This is called the "String Theory". String theory helps us to combine other theories into one that better explains the nature of all matter and energy.
Most everyday matter is composed of the up and down quarks, and the electrons and neutrinos. The protons are made up of two up quarks (charge +2/3) and one down quark (charge -1/3). Neutrons are composed of one up quark and two down quarks. Internet Project: The Particle Adventure. Get the .PDF version of the handout. |
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