There are 12 particles of matter in the universe (that we know of for now. If the math is right, there literally cannot be any more.)
Of those 12 particles, only three ever seem to show up in nature. Everything around you, including you, are made of only three particles: The electron, and the Up Quark and the Down Quark. That's it.
We don't know why the other nine particles are there. They never show up normally in nature, only in our colliders here on Earth, and in very high-energy events in stars and black holes.
But, back to the three we do have: every atom of every element, are all made up of only electrons and up and down quarks.
The electron is a thing all by itself. We're pretty sure of that, but there are those testing it, every day. But so far, it looks like an electron is an indivisible thing unto itself.
Every atom has to have protons. And most have neutrons. Protons are made up of two up quarks and one down quark. That leaves it with a positive charge equal to the negative charge of the electron. Two down quarks and one up quark make a neutron, with no charge.
Protons and neutrons both have more mass than the sum of their quarks. Yes, you read that correctly: they weigh more than just the the parts they are made of. Took a while to figure that one out. The extra mass comes from the energy that binds the quarks together, to make a proton or neutron. For that matter, and for the same reason, atoms weigh more than the sum of their constituent components: it's the pieces, and the energy that holds the pieces together, that make an atom mass what it does.
Of those 12 particles, only three ever seem to show up in nature. Everything around you, including you, are made of only three particles: The electron, and the Up Quark and the Down Quark. That's it.
We don't know why the other nine particles are there. They never show up normally in nature, only in our colliders here on Earth, and in very high-energy events in stars and black holes.
But, back to the three we do have: every atom of every element, are all made up of only electrons and up and down quarks.
The electron is a thing all by itself. We're pretty sure of that, but there are those testing it, every day. But so far, it looks like an electron is an indivisible thing unto itself.
Every atom has to have protons. And most have neutrons. Protons are made up of two up quarks and one down quark. That leaves it with a positive charge equal to the negative charge of the electron. Two down quarks and one up quark make a neutron, with no charge.
Protons and neutrons both have more mass than the sum of their quarks. Yes, you read that correctly: they weigh more than just the the parts they are made of. Took a while to figure that one out. The extra mass comes from the energy that binds the quarks together, to make a proton or neutron. For that matter, and for the same reason, atoms weigh more than the sum of their constituent components: it's the pieces, and the energy that holds the pieces together, that make an atom mass what it does.
