Basic Particle Physics To Learn In Your Free Time

Magnifying Glass

See that diamond ring in the jewellery shop? Have you ever wondered what that diamond was made of? Time to zoom in and see

Upon looking at the diamond, it is a shiny crystal. Zooming in closer, you can see that the diamond is made of carbon molecules and zooming in even closer, you can see that the molecules are made of carbon atoms arranged in a lattice structure. Zooming into the carbon atom you realise it is made of 3 subatomic particles:

Protons- There particles have a positive charge and are found in the nucleus(center) of the atom contained by the coulomb's barrier which I will talk about later.

Electrons(cannot be further broken down)-These particles have a negative charge and orbit around the nucleus in electron shells.

Neutrons-These particles are found in the nucleus and have no charge and practically no purpose but to make the atom heavier.

Zooming into the protons and neutrons, you see that they are made of what are called 'quarks' there are three generations of quarks but only the first generation is stable enough to exist. In the first generation, there are two types, an 'up' quark and a 'down' quark. A proton is made of two 'up' quarks and one 'down' quark while a neutron is made of two 'down' quarks and one 'up' quark.

At this stage,  nothing can be broken down further because like quarks, electrons are fundamental. And your microscope just exploded and you are now perpetually blind.