Classifying Particles and Antiparticles

AQA AS-level PhysicsQuarks and LeptonsLesson 6 of 17

Particles can be divided into 2 groups: leptons and hadrons.

Leptons are fundamental particles and cannot be divided into smaller particles.

Hadrons are made from fundamental particles called quarks.

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Strong nuclear force: The short-range attractive force between nucleons that overcomes the electrostatic repulsion between protons and holds the nucleus together, becoming repulsive at very short separations.
Weak nuclear force: The fundamental interaction responsible for beta decay, in which particles interact through the exchange of W bosons.
Quark: A fundamental particle that combines with other quarks to make up hadrons; at A-level, up, down and strange quarks are considered.
Muon: A negatively charged lepton, similar to but much heavier than the electron, produced for example by cosmic rays in the atmosphere.
Neutrino: An uncharged, almost massless lepton that interacts only very weakly with matter and is emitted, along with a beta particle, in beta decay.