a quark is a fundemental constituant of matter
Observed in 1968 through deep elastic scatter
We found that protons aren't as simple as we thought
We thought they were solid particles but they are not
Protons in fact are made up of three separate pieces
It just gets more confusing as our knowledge increases
But that is what a quark is; It's a piece of a proton
And they also make up other things including the neutron
And with leptons and bosons, unless something's amiss,
They make up everything that we can see and that we know exists
Things made up of quarks including protons and neutrons
Are composite particles that physicists call hadrons
Many types of hadrons are theoretically described,
But most exist for only very brief amounts of time
Quarks have electric charge, color charge, mass and spin,
And having color charge means they exist solely inside of
Other kinds of particles and cannot exist alone
Which is why quarks have never been studied on their own
Quarks can join together in two different ways,
Baryons and Mesons, but most instantly decay
If a particle has three quarks, then it's a baryon,
And if there's one quark and and anti-quark, then it is a meson
Observed in 1968 through deep elastic scatter
We found that protons aren't as simple as we thought
We thought they were solid particles but they are not
Protons in fact are made up of three separate pieces
It just gets more confusing as our knowledge increases
But that is what a quark is; It's a piece of a proton
And they also make up other things including the neutron
And with leptons and bosons, unless something's amiss,
They make up everything that we can see and that we know exists
Things made up of quarks including protons and neutrons
Are composite particles that physicists call hadrons
Many types of hadrons are theoretically described,
But most exist for only very brief amounts of time
Quarks have electric charge, color charge, mass and spin,
And having color charge means they exist solely inside of
Other kinds of particles and cannot exist alone
Which is why quarks have never been studied on their own
Quarks can join together in two different ways,
Baryons and Mesons, but most instantly decay
If a particle has three quarks, then it's a baryon,
And if there's one quark and and anti-quark, then it is a meson
Man did you hear that Hank Green song about quarks?
Strange Charm? Yeah! It totally got me into atoms and stuff!
Strange Charm? Yeah! It totally got me into atoms and stuff!
by ♥Nerdfighter♥ August 27, 2011
The mysterious quark is one of the two basic constituents of matter that make up protons and neutrons, with there being exactly three quarks within each kind of particle.
It is often stated that the word was originally coined by Murray Gell-Mann who found it in James Joyce's book Finnegans Wake. However, Joyce himself had probably found the word in a German dictionary.
It is often stated that the word was originally coined by Murray Gell-Mann who found it in James Joyce's book Finnegans Wake. However, Joyce himself had probably found the word in a German dictionary.
"Three quarks for Muster Mark!
Sure he has not got much of a bark
And sure any he has it's all beside the mark"
(James Augustine Aloysius Joyce)
"Getretener Quark wird breit, nicht stark"
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
Sure he has not got much of a bark
And sure any he has it's all beside the mark"
(James Augustine Aloysius Joyce)
"Getretener Quark wird breit, nicht stark"
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
by Clittary Hilton November 5, 2007
by Waaanger September 23, 2011
The smallest known building blocks of matter. Protons and neutrons are each made of 3 quarks. Quarks are never found alone, only in groups of two or more. An attempt to separate two quarks generates enough energy to create two more.
by zachwolff October 20, 2003
The sound a duck makes when it is confused, asking a question or surprised. Also used as an empathised alternative to the word 'what?'
by fwoabp February 23, 2011
According to string theory, the smallest bit of matter above strings, tiny vibrating strings that make up the universe.
by Scienfabuloso January 16, 2009