18 Questions
Which force is responsible for beta decay, electron capture, and electron-proton collisions?
Weak nuclear force
What type of particles are either hadrons or leptons?
Fundamental particles
What is the distinguishing property of leptons?
They are fundamental particles
Which interaction particle has an infinite range?
Virtual photon
What is responsible for the strong nuclear force experienced by hadrons?
Quarks
Which type of decay involves a neutron converting into a proton with the emission of an electron and a neutrino?
Beta-minus decay
What is the charge of a neutron?
0
What is the relative mass of an electron compared to a proton?
0.0005
What is the specific charge of an electron?
$1.76 \times 10^{11}$ C/kg
What is the nucleon number, denoted by A, of an atom?
The number of protons and neutrons
What is the proton number, denoted by Z, of an atom?
The number of protons
What are isotopes?
Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons
What is the main reason why scientific investigations in particle physics rely on international collaboration?
Particle accelerators are very expensive to build and run
What is the charge of the strange quark (s)?
-1/3 e
What is the quark combination for the $K^+$ meson?
us
Which of the following conservation laws must be obeyed during strong interactions?
Strangeness
What is the charge of the $\ar{ ho}^0$ meson?
0
What is the baryon number of a quark?
1/3
Study Notes
Forces and Interactions
- The weak nuclear force is responsible for beta decay, electron capture, and electron-proton collisions.
- The exchange particle for the weak nuclear force is a W boson (W+ or W-).
- The range of the weak nuclear force is approximately 10^-18 meters.
Classification of Particles
- Particles are either hadrons or leptons.
- Leptons are fundamental particles that cannot be broken down further and do not experience the strong nuclear force.
- Hadrons are formed of quarks and experience the strong nuclear force.
- Hadrons can be further separated into baryons, antibaryons, and mesons.
Constituents of the Atom
- An atom is formed of three constituents: protons, neutrons, and electrons.
- Protons and neutrons form the nucleus at the center of the atom, while electrons orbit the nucleus in shells.
- Protons have a charge of +1.6 × 10^-19 C, a mass of 1.67 × 10^-27 kg, and a specific charge of 9.58 × 10^7 Ckg^-1.
- Neutrons have a charge of 0, a mass of 1.67 × 10^-27 kg, and a specific charge of 0.
- Electrons have a charge of -1.6 × 10^-19 C, a mass of 9.11 × 10^-31 kg, and a specific charge of 1.76 × 10^11 Ckg^-1.
Isotopes and Particle Accelerators
- Isotopes are atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons.
- Particle accelerators are used to investigate particle physics, but they are very expensive to build and run, and produce huge amounts of data.
Quarks and Antiquarks
- Quarks are fundamental particles that make up hadrons.
- There are three types of quarks: up (u), down (d), and strange (s).
- Quarks have specific properties, including charge, baryon number, and strangeness.
Quark Combinations for Mesons
- Mesons are formed of quark combinations, including:
- π⁰ (uu or dd)
- π⁺ (ud)
- π⁻ (ud)
- k⁰ (ds)
- k⁺ (us)
- k⁻ (us)
Applications of Conservation Laws
- The following properties must be conserved in particle interactions:
- Energy and momentum
- Charge
- Baryon number
- Electron lepton number
- Muon lepton number
- Strangeness (only in strong interactions)
- To show that these conservation laws are obeyed, the values of each property must be found before and after the interaction and shown to be equal.
Test your knowledge on different forces in physics and their corresponding interaction exchange particles. Explore the characteristics and ranges of strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravitational forces.
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