Chapter 5: The Higgs Particle

This chapter outlines the ideas behind other possible particles that account for various unexplained occurrences through out the universe. It continues to outline ideas from the fundamentals of protons and neutrons to more complex photons and neutrinos. One of the most interesting ideas in this chapter is the breaking down of particles into their possible components that scientists have found. Some examples of these smaller particles include quarks. Quarks in general are quite fascinating because “they interact the way other particles do, by exchanging virtual particles such as gluons”. Quarks are also massless, like photons, and have a spinning motion at all times. However, quarks are unique because essentially every other known force in the universe has an inverse relationship with distance (as the distance increases the force decreases) but with quarks this is not the case. To explain how quarks work in this situation, we must first understand the equation E = mc^2 as it describes that matter can’t be created nor destroyed but it can be converted into energy. The unique thing about quarks is that the distance between two quarks does not influence the force between them. In fact, if you were to separate two quarks 10^-15 meters apart, you would produce enough energy to make two new quarks. This is where that famous equation comes in handy; in this case energy is converted into matter. As a result of this law, one cannot ever have a single isolated quark because the energy required to do so would simply produce more.

Another interesting aspect of this chapter was the brief understanding I got of the Higgs particle. Much of the descriptions and understanding was a bit over my head but I was able to understand that scientists are having a hard time observing and understanding it because of its unique properties. This is partially due to its unique properties and its massive weight, in relation to other particles. It is believed that it weighs about 120 times that of a proton and as a result, it is difficult for scientists to gain an understanding of its standard model. There was not much else I was able to draw from this chapter due to its complexity but the information that I was able to understand was very intriguing to say the least.