In my modern physics class this term we have rearranged (and eliminated)
topics a bit, so I find myself with a few extra days to play with. With
it we are delving into particle physics and the standard model. This is
not a topic I ever studied in depth as a student, so I am learning a LOT!
In preparation for our discussion of quarks I am reminded of a question
that has haunted me since I first learned about quarks. I figured the
good folks at Phys-l would be willing to help out. Here it is
The strange, charm, top and bottom quarks all have their own quantum
numbers, while the up and down quark do not. It is quite possible that
there is no "why" here, since all of these conservation laws are
empirically derived from what we observe in particle reactions and
decays. Is there any other way to describe why this is?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Jeff
--
Jeff Loats, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Physics
Fort Lewis College
650 Berndt Hall
970.247.7553
loats_j@fortlewis.edu http://faculty.fortlewis.edu/loats_j/