Particle Physics
Matter is built from quarks and leptons with force-carrying bosons.
About this topic
Matter is made of fundamental particles: quarks (up, down, strange, charm, top, bottom) form protons and neutrons, and leptons include the electron, muon, tau and neutrinos. Forces are carried by bosons: photons (electromagnetism), gluons (strong force), W and Z (weak force), and the Higgs gives mass.
A proton is two up quarks and one down quark, and a neutron is one up and two down. Ordinary matter needs only up, down and the electron; the heavier particles appear in cosmic rays and collisions. Every particle has an antiparticle, with the same mass but opposite charge.
Accelerators such as the LHC smash particles together at nearly light speed to reveal new ones, which is how the Higgs boson was found in 2012. The Standard Model describes all of this but does not include gravity, dark matter or dark energy.
Quarks are never seen alone, because the strong force grows with distance. Neutrinos pass through almost everything, with trillions going through you each second.
Key ideas
- Protons are made of quarks
- Electrons are leptons
- The Higgs gives mass
Quick check
Use cases: where Particle Physics helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Particle Physics before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Particle Physics without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Particle Physics changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Particle Physics in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
The same laws describe car crashes, sports, satellites and everyday machines.
Frequently asked questions
What is Particle Physics?
Matter is built from quarks and leptons with force-carrying bosons.
What will I learn in Particle Physics?
Protons are made of quarks. Electrons are leptons. The Higgs gives mass.
Is Particle Physics part of Physics?
Yes. It is one of 150 Physics topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Particle Physics lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Particle Physics?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.