The Quirky Lives of Quarks: A Close Look Into Matter

Abstract

In the field of particle physics, we try to understand what our universe is made of. We study the basic properties of matter, describe the elementary particles that compose matter, and try to understand how the various particles that build our world work together. In this article, we will dive into the heart of atoms—the building blocks of matter—and try to answer some intriguing, basic questions about the universe such as: “What are protons and neutrons, the particles that make up the nucleus, made of?” and, “Can those components be divided into even smaller particles?”