Particle Physics: Definitions & Names Explained

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the definitions and names of various particles in particle physics, specifically focusing on mesons, gluons, tau particles, and others beyond the basic particles like protons and electrons. Participants seek clarification and resources to better understand these concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a limited background in particle physics and requests definitions for specific particles, indicating a desire for clarity on terms like mesons and gluons.
  • Another participant suggests that reading materials on quarks should also cover mesons, recommending David Griffiths' "Introduction to Elementary Particles" for those with a decent math background.
  • A third participant provides a link to a resource, http://particleadventure.org, which includes a chart of fundamental particles and interactions, suggesting it may be helpful for understanding the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the need for definitions and resources related to specific particles, but there is no consensus on the best materials or definitions, as suggestions vary.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the participants' varying levels of background knowledge and the potential for differing interpretations of particle definitions.

Nenad
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hello everyone. I have a limited background in particle physics (books). I was wondering if someone can help me with definitions of what certain particles are and what their names pertain to. No need to explain basic stuff (protons, neutrons, neutrinos, electrons, photons, positrons, gravitons, leeptons and quarks). I was wondering about mesons, gluons, tau particles, ... etc...

If anyone has a good link for this, it would be very much apreciated. Thanks.
 
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What have you been reading? Any good book that talks about quarks should at the very least talk about mesons. Anyway, if you have a decent math background (calculus and algebra), you should try David Griffiths' "Introduction to Elementary Particles". I'm sure someone here can suggest alternatives to that.
 
Nenad said:
hello everyone. I have a limited background in particle physics (books). I was wondering if someone can help me with definitions of what certain particles are and what their names pertain to. No need to explain basic stuff (protons, neutrons, neutrinos, electrons, photons, positrons, gravitons, leeptons and quarks). I was wondering about mesons, gluons, tau particles, ... etc...

If anyone has a good link for this, it would be very much apreciated. Thanks.

Try: http://particleadventure.org/particleadventure/index_old.html

They have a really great one-page chart for the Fundamental Particles and Interactions. It has a black background.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
thanx guys.
 

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