As for quarks, they are the fundamental building blocks of a group of particles called hadrons, a group that includes both the proton and the neutron. Leptons are a group of six particles not bound by the strong nuclear force, of which the electron is one. As you may recall, carrier particles are responsible for transmitting fundamental forces between their interacting masses. According to the Standard Model, there are three types of fundamental particles: leptons, quarks, and carrier particles. Even though not every particle is considered fundamental, they all play a vital role in understanding the intricate structure of our universe.Ī fundamental particle is defined as a particle with no substructure and no finite size. While we are confident that the electron remains fundamental, it is surrounded by a plethora of similar sounding terms, like leptons, hadrons, baryons, and mesons. At present, scientists know that there are hundreds of particles not unlike our electron and nucleons, all making up what some have termed the particle zoo. Have the students compare and contrast these theories to our current scientific model. Have interested students read the texts of Democritus and Empedocles to see how atomism was viewed in the Greek era.
By the early 1930s, scientists believed they had fully determined the tiniest constituents of matter-in the form of the proton, neutron, and electron.
Though dormant for centuries, curiosity about the atomic nature of matter was reinvigorated by Rutherford’s gold foil experiment and the discovery of the nucleus. Atomists of the Greek and Indian empires, like Democritus of fifth century B.C., openly wondered about the most finite components of our universe. The search for fundamental particles is nothing new. Diogenes Laertius (summarizing the views of Democritus, circa 460–370 B.C.)
And it because of their solidity that these atoms are impassive and unalterable.”
For even these are conglomerations of given atoms. “… Further, the atoms are unlimited in size and number, and they are borne along with the whole universe in a vortex, and thereby generate all composite things-fire, water, air, earth. Everything else is merely thought to exist…” “The first principles of the universe are atoms and empty space. Prior to the section, it may be valuable to review the following terms and concepts: electron scattering, discrete quantities, color theory, and particle decay.
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