P1. The Quantum Realm: Matter

When trying to understand the mechanics of our physical reality, a great first step is to understand the fundamentals. Making sense of reality starts at looking at the main ingredient to all of life and creation: particles.

450 B.C Greek philosopher Democritus introduced the basic or fundamental unit of matter as the term, atom.

1980s, JJ Thomson discovered the electron.

1910s, Ernest Rutherford discovered the center of the atom, calling it the nucleus, made up of protons and neutrons.

The building blocks of protons and neutrons were discovered to be called, up quarks and down quarks.

Inside an atom. Image by Nuclear Power.

Checkpoint 1: The physical world is made up of three particles: electrons, up quarks, and down quarks.

Physicists explain the behavior of particles by introducing fields, an amalgamation of particles, which is a closer representation of our unified mathematical system called, reality.

4 Types of Quantum Fields

4 Forces

Each force is associated with some field.

Standard Model of Physics Equation, correctly predicts every single experiment we’ve ever done in science. Our reality is made up of these forces and fields and together we have an equation that describes it cohesively. The equation in fact is said to be our current limit of knowledge.