I How Many Different Quarks Are There in Each Generation?

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There are three generations of quarks, with the first generation consisting of the up and down quarks, each having an associated antiquark. In total, this results in six quarks when considering the three color charges (red, green, blue) for both the up and down quarks and their antiquarks. The discussion highlights that quarks interact with both the electromagnetic and weak nuclear forces, and their charges differ accordingly. Some participants suggest counting degrees of freedom, leading to a total of 24 when including spin and handedness. Ultimately, the conversation clarifies that while quarks can oscillate in certain contexts, they do not change their fundamental type or charge in a way that violates conservation laws.
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friend said:
Does every gluon interact with every quark?
I think not. (That was probably a stupid question.) For if that were the case, then it would be impossible to enumerate various kinds of gluons. They would be indistinguishable. In fact, aren't the gluons specifically distinguished from each other by the fact that they interact with quarks differently?
 

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