BRAINCAKEPions
A pion (π meson) is a particle that can be positively charged, negatively charged or neutral.
π+ π- π0
The rest mass of a muon μ is less than the rest mass of a pion π which is less than the rest mass of a proton.
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Key terms in this lesson
- 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.
- Photon
- A discrete packet, or quantum, of electromagnetic energy.
- Weak nuclear force
- The fundamental interaction responsible for beta decay, in which particles interact through the exchange of W bosons.
- Meson
- A hadron made of a quark-antiquark pair, for example the pion and the kaon.
- Muon
- A negatively charged lepton, similar to but much heavier than the electron, produced for example by cosmic rays in the atmosphere.
More in Quarks and Leptons
- Cosmic Rays
- Muons
- Kaons
- Particle Accelerators
- Classifying Particles and Antiparticles
- Leptons
- Hadrons
- Particle Colliders and Energy
All 17 lessons in Quarks and Leptons · All AQA AS-level Physics topics