Episode 532: Preparation for Particle Physics Topic

This topic, from the Institute of Physics, help students to gain an understanding of the different sub-atomic particles. They also develop ideas around antiparticles, interactions and the development of the standard model.

There are four learning episodes in this topic:

Episode 533: The particle zoo

Episode 534: Antiparticles and the lepton family

Episode 535: Particle reactions

Episode 536: Vector bosons and Feynman diagrams

Upon completion of the activities, students should be able to:

1. use the terms baryon, meson, hadron and lepton

2. know that, for each particle, there exists an antiparticle

3. apply conservation rules to particle interactions, including particle annihilation and creation

4. know that interactions between fundamental particles (quarks and leptons) are due to the exchange of other particles (vector bosons), and that these are (virtual) photons for the electromagnetic interaction and W+, W- and Z0 particles for the weak interaction

5. construct and interpret Feynman diagrams showing interactions.