Particle physics facts for kids

Particle physics is a branch of physics that explores the smallest building blocks of everything around us. These tiny pieces are called particles. Scientists use special math, like calculus and group theory, to understand how these particles behave.

What Are Fundamental Forces?

Particles can carry basic forces that shape our universe. For example, the electromagnetic force, which makes magnets work and powers your electronics, is carried by photons. There are four main forces that explain almost everything in physics:

• Gravity (what pulls you to Earth)
• Electromagnetism (light, electricity, magnets)
• The weak interaction (involved in radioactive decay)
• The strong interaction (holds atomic nuclei together)

The Standard Model: Our Universe's Rulebook

One very important idea in particle physics is called the Standard Model. This is a theory that tries to explain how three of the four fundamental forces work. When combined with general relativity, which explains gravity, the Standard Model is our best idea so far for how the universe operates.

However, the Standard Model is not perfect. It explains the electromagnetic, strong, and weak forces very well, but it does not explain gravity. That is why general relativity is needed to understand gravity. Scientists are always working to improve this theory or find an even better one. This work is often called theoretical particle physics. These physicists create new ideas to make the Standard Model better. Sometimes, their theories even predict new particles that we have not found yet!

How Do Scientists Study Particles?

Physicists learn about particles by smashing them together. Think of it like this: if you wanted to see inside a car, you could crash two cars together at high speeds. When they break apart, you can see what is inside. In the same way, physicists crash particles together to break them apart and study their insides.

When particles collide at very high speeds, some of them break apart. When they break, they can create new, even smaller particles. These new particles are very hard to find because they decay (change into lighter particles) very quickly. Modern particle physics uses giant machines called particle accelerators to crash particles together with huge amounts of energy. This field is often called high-energy physics because of the massive energy levels involved.

Not all particles break apart. For example, electrons do not break into smaller pieces. Because of this, the electron is called a fundamental particle. If you smashed two super-fast electrons together, they would not break. Instead, they might create other particles around them without breaking themselves. The Standard Model says there are 17 types of fundamental particles. But there are actually twice as many, because each can also be created from antimatter.

Real-World Uses of Particle Physics

Particle physics helps us understand the early universe. The conditions in the early universe were much more energetic than they are today. We can recreate similar conditions in a tiny space by colliding particles in accelerators. The biggest particle accelerator in the world is the Large Hadron Collider. It is located at CERN in Europe.

Images for kids

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  Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, USA

See also

In Spanish: Física de partículas para niños