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II. Short Answer Questions · Q7

Q.What are sub atomic particles?

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Concept understanding — Particle Physics and the Higgs Boson

Particle physics is the study of the fundamental particles of nature, and it is described as one of the most active research areas in physics today, both theoretically and experimentally. The field's own picture of what counts as 'fundamental' has changed repeatedly across the twentieth century: the atom was initially thought to be matter's fundamental building block, until the 1930s established that atoms themselves are made of electrons, protons and neutrons -- the sub-atomic particles. Then, in the 1960s, quarks were discovered, and it became clear that protons and neutrons are themselves built from quarks, which interact with one another through gluons. This progression can be read straight off a nested hierarchy: a molecule (such as water) is composed of two or more atoms; an atom consists of electrons revolving around a central nucleus; the nucleus, at the atom's centre, is composed of protons and neutrons; protons and neutrons together are called nucleons; and each nucleon is in turn built from quarks. Particle-physics research has grown exponentially and has earne …

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