Richard E. Taylor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard E. Taylor
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| Born |
Richard Edward Taylor
2 November 1929 |
| Died | 22 February 2018 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | Canadian |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Particle physics |
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| Thesis | Positive pion production by polarised bremsstrahlung (1962) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert F. Mozley |
Richard Edward Taylor (November 2, 1929 – February 22, 2018) was a Canadian scientist. He was a professor at Stanford University and won the Nobel Prize.
In 1990, he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics. He won it with two other scientists, Jerome Friedman and Henry Kendall. They were honored for their important work on how tiny particles inside atoms behave. Their discoveries helped us understand the "quark model" of matter.
Taylor passed away at his home in Stanford, California, when he was 88 years old.
Contents
Discovering Tiny Particles
Richard Taylor and his team studied what happens when electrons hit protons and neutrons. Protons and neutrons are tiny parts found inside the center of an atom.
What is Deep Inelastic Scattering?
The scientists used a special machine called a particle accelerator. This machine sped up electrons to very high speeds. They then shot these fast electrons at protons and neutrons. When the electrons hit, they scattered in unexpected ways. This was called "deep inelastic scattering." It was like throwing a ball at something and seeing it bounce off in a strange pattern.
Understanding the Quark Model
Before their work, scientists thought protons and neutrons were solid, simple particles. But Taylor's experiments showed something different. The way the electrons scattered suggested that protons and neutrons were not solid. Instead, they had even smaller particles inside them.
These smaller particles were later named "quarks." The "quark model" explains that protons and neutrons are made up of these tiny quarks. Taylor's research was very important because it provided strong proof for the existence of quarks. This changed how we understand the basic building blocks of everything around us.
See also
In Spanish: Richard Edward Taylor para niños
