Particle Physics Overview

The force responsible for the attraction of objects with mass. It is the weakest of the four fundamental forces but becomes dominant with large masses.

The force that governs the behavior of charged particles, including attraction of opposite charges, repulsion of like charges, and magnetic interactions. It is weaker than the strong force but stronger than gravity.

The force responsible for radioactive decay. An unstable atom decays into a more stable form through the weak interaction. It has a shorter range than the strong force.

The strongest of the four fundamental forces, responsible for holding protons and neutrons together within the atomic nucleus. It has the shortest range of all forces.

The attempt to unify all fundamental forces, explaining their interactions through a single set of principles.

The theory that describes the interaction of the electromagnetic and weak forces at very high energies.

A model that uses four fundamental forces to explain cosmic events.

A theoretical framework aiming to unify the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces. It has not yet been experimentally verified.

The force responsible for the large-scale structure of the universe. It attracts objects with mass towards each other.

The process by which stars generate energy by fusing lighter nuclei into heavier ones, releasing energy in the process.

The force that governs the interactions between subatomic particles, holding them together in the nucleus of an atom.

Elements heavier than iron are created in the powerful explosions that occur when massive stars collapse at the end of their lives.

The force responsible for interactions between electrically charged particles, mediating the interaction of light with matter.

A hypothetical form of matter that does not emit or interact with light, but exerts gravitational pull. Its presence is inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter.

The process by which denser regions in the universe attract more matter, increasing the density contrast and leading to the formation of stars, galaxies, and clusters.

The formation of the first atomic nuclei from elementary particles, occurring during the early stages of the Universe.

The most abundant particles in the Universe, interacting only via the weak force and gravity, making them incredibly difficult to detect.

The process of converting protons into neutrons in the core of stars, powered by weak interactions. It plays a vital role in stabilizing Atomic Nuclei by overcoming the electrostatic repulsion between positively charged protons.

The early state of the Universe, when it was extremely hot and dense. No stable atoms or nuclei could exist.

The gradual fusion of hydrogen nuclei into helium, releasing energy and powering stars for billions of years. It's made possible by the weak interaction, which converts protons to neutrons.

The model that describes the fundamental particles and forces governing the universe.

Particles that are not made up of smaller constituents - the building blocks of matter.

Particles with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons. They can be either stable or unstable.

Heavier quarks tend to decay into lighter 'up' and 'down' quarks, and similarly, heavier leptons (muon and tau) decay into electrons.

A field that permeates all of space and gives particles their mass. The discovery of the Higgs boson confirmed its existence.

The attempt to combine the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces into a single unified force. It is a major goal in particle physics.

Maxwell's equations describe the behavior of electric and magnetic fields, explaining how they interact with each other.

Gauss's law states that electric charges create electric fields. The strength of the field depends on the amount of charge.

Gauss's law for magnetism states that there are no isolated magnetic charges (monopoles), and magnetic field lines always form closed loops.

Faraday's law of induction states that changing magnetic fields can create electric fields.

Ampere's law states that electric currents and changing electric fields create magnetic fields.

Special relativity establishes the relationship between space and time. Two key postulates define this relationship: the laws of physics are the same for all observers, and the speed of light is constant for all observers.

The equivalence of mass and energy is expressed by Einstein's famous equation: E=mc². This means that mass can be converted into energy and vice versa.

Special relativity distinguishes between rest mass and relativistic mass. Rest mass is an object's mass at rest, while relativistic mass increases as the object's speed approaches the speed of light.

Newton's First Law of Motion states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will stay in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by a net external force.

Newton's Second Law of Motion states that the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass.

Newton's Third Law of Motion states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that when one object exerts a force on another, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force back on the first.

The tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion. In other words, objects want to stay in their current state of motion.

The rate of change of momentum of an object is equal to the net force acting on it. It is a more general form of Newton's Second Law that includes the concept of momentum.

The total momentum of a system remains constant in the absence of external forces. This means that in any interaction between objects, the total amount of momentum before and after the interaction is the same.

A force that attracts any two objects with mass. The greater the mass, the greater the force of attraction.