Caesar_Rahil
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How many elementary particles have been discovered.
The discussion revolves around the number of elementary particles that have been discovered, focusing on the classification and counting methods within the standard model of particle physics. Participants explore various aspects of particle types, including quarks, leptons, and gauge bosons, as well as the implications of charge and antiparticles.
Participants express differing views on how to count elementary particles, with no consensus reached on a definitive method or total number. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the implications of mass, charge, and other factors in counting particles.
Participants highlight the nuances in counting particles, including considerations of mass, charge, and parity, which may lead to different interpretations and totals. The discussion reflects the complexity of the topic without resolving these ambiguities.
Norman said:please see http://pdg.lbl.gov/pdg.html
There are 6 different quarks, 6 different leptons, and 12 different gauge bosons. Then you have all the antiparticles for these different particles. This is in regards to the standard model of particle physics. Please see the link above for much more detail.
Cheers,
Ryan
arivero said:I love this question, because if you go into details... how should you count the particles? It seems that for fermions it is a question of mass, if the mass is the same you consider it to be the same particle, even if the charge is not. But for bosons we count W+ and W- as two particles.
If we include charge and antiparticles in the fermions, we have
6*3*2= 36 quarks and
6*2= 12 leptons
If we consider Parity, we have
36*2= 72 quarks
12*2= 24 leptons, or we had 18 if there were not right neutrinos.
thus about 96 "particles".