1.7 Particles and nuclear structure Flashcards
What are the two types of fundamental particles that make up all matter?
Quarks and leptons.
Why are protons and neutrons not considered fundamental particles?
Because they are made up of quarks.
What are the first generation of quarks?
Up (u) and down (d) quarks.
What are the first generation of leptons?
Electron (e−) and electron neutrino (νe).
What is the charge of an electron?
-1
What is the charge of an electron neutrino?
0
What is the charge of an up quark?
+2/3.
What is the charge of a down quark?
-1/3.
What are antiparticles?
Particles that have the same mass but opposite charges compared to their corresponding particles.
What is the antiparticle of the electron called?
Positron (e+).
What happens during annihilation of a particle and its antiparticle?
They disappear and produce two photons that travel in opposite directions.
What are hadrons?
Composite particles made up of quarks.
What are the three types of hadrons?
Baryons, antibaryons, and mesons.
What is a baryon?
A particle made up of exactly three quarks.
Give an example of a baryon.
Proton (uud) or neutron (udd).
What is an antibaryon?
A particle made up of exactly three antiquarks.
Give an example of an antibaryon.
Antiproton (u̅d̅d̅) or antineutron (u̅u̅d̅).
What are mesons?
Particles made up of quark-antiquark pairs.
What is a pion?
A type of meson that can be positively charged (π+) or negatively charged (π-).
What are the four fundamental interactions in particle physics?
Gravitational, weak, strong, and electromagnetic.
What is the nature of the gravitational force?
It is a force of attraction between all matter with mass, very weak and extends to infinite distance.
What is the weak force responsible for?
Reactions involving neutrinos and quark flavor changes.
What is the strong force?
An interaction experienced by all quarks, affecting baryons.
What is the electromagnetic force?
A force between all charged particles, with an infinite range.
