Graphic Design & Science: Fundamental Particles Visualation

[Gentle Bren]

Graphic Design & Science: Fundamental Particles Visualisation

Hello my name is Brendon.

I'm a graphic designer interested in science communication and currently studying a masters in graphic design.

I was wondering if anybody would be able to help me with a few queries with regards to visualisations of quarks, electrons and the other elementary particles?

First off, i have to explain that I'm no scientist. I love reading and learning about science but i don't really have a very technical brain and i find the nuts and bolts of it all very very hard to absorb.

My major project for my MA is based around 'Orders Of Magnitude' and heavily inspired by Eames' Power of Ten film, Kees Boeke's Cosmic View book and recently the Huang brothers Scale of the Universe websites. I am attempting to reproduce these ideas in print as folded posters. Each fold representing an order of magnitude.

My problem at the moment (other than trying to learn about all this hardcore physics stuff!) is that there are try few visualisations of these ideas, which are interesting and well designed.

So my question really is whether anybody here can point me in the right direction of some interesting visual material, and also any particularly helpful learning materials for the layman?

any help would be very much appreciated

bren

p.s. i hope you don't mind a newbie popping up and asking a question such as this!

 

[twofish-quant]

My problem at the moment (other than trying to learn about all this hardcore physics stuff!) is that there are try few visualisations of these ideas, which are interesting and well designed.

Cool...

For particles, it may be a good idea to draw a Feynman diagram with a column of numbers. The traditional way of showing a particle is by a ball, but it may make more sense to draw a particle as a "arrow" or something that looks like a wave.