1.
Why is it difficult to distinguish whether a particle is an elementary particle or a
composite?
It was used to believed that elementary particles are those you
cannot knock anything out of them. With the discovery of electrons, the
existence of atoms was also established. Atoms were believed to be
elementary particles, however as electron could be ripped out of atoms, this
belief disproved. The formation of electrons, and positron from the collision
of electrons and atomic nuclei, as well as the formation of pions from
collision of protons, and the formation of protons and antiprotons from the
collision of pions made a confusion about establishing which was a composite
of which. Hence, the difference between elementary and composite article
has basically disappeared.
2. Why are atoms, neutrons, and protons not considered elementary particles? On the
other hand, why are electrons considered elementary particles?
Atoms are not indivisible constituents of matter and they can be
further subdivided. Proton and neutron on the other hand are strongly
interacting particles that were declared as composites of quarks and gluons.
Electrons are considered elementary particles because of its stability – the
lightest among other leptons.
3. According to Heisenberg, Pauli, and other like-minded scientists, what are the basic
building blocks of matter? Furthermore, according to them, what are the
requirements for considering a given particle as an elementary particle?
These scientists argue that the basic building blocks are fields with
bundles of energy, and not particles. A particle could be considered as
elementary wen its field appears in the fundamental field equations.
4. According to the Standard Model, what are the elementary particles? Furthermore,
what holds these elementary particles together (to form composite particles or
matter)?
The Standard Model describes the fields of quarks, leptons, and
photon along with its siblings as the elementary particles. Gluons help these
particles stick together.
5. (Recall or do some quick research on the ideas of Democritus and his teacher
Leucippus about matter.) Compare and contrast the ideas of Democritus with the
Standard Model. In particular, did Democritus consider the question about what
holds the particles together?
They assumed that the world is made up of matter and postulated
that combining invisible particles would form visible objects with their
properties and behavior. They are also the first proponents of atomic theory
which proposed: Matter is composed of atoms separated by empty space
through which the atoms move and these atoms where solid, homogeneous,
indivisible, and unchangeable. Also, they argued that apparent changes in
matter result from changes of groupings of atom and there are different
kinds of atoms that differ in size and shape, and lastly they propose that the
properties of matter reflect the properties of the atoms that contained it.
Democritus’ claim differs from the Standard Model wherein it disproves the
indivisibility of atoms. Democritus thought of atoms being only separated and
did not account what sticks them together. Standard model clearly
elaborated the weak, strong, electromagnetic forces and gravity that holds
the particle together.
6. Why do Weinberg and other scientists seriously consider the possibility that the
Standard Model is just a tentative explanation for the composition of the universe?
Because the Standard Model is the organizing principle that presents
the building block combinations of matter. It presented the particles that
build up a matter and eventually the universe as a whole.
7. How does the idea expressed in the last paragraph of the essay conform to and/or
contradict the idea you held or which you were taught about science?
It was believed in the past that Science formulates questions and find
answers to these queries about the universe – in which the last paragraph in
the essay contradicts. As oxymoron as it may sound, the last paragraph tells
that to formulate the right questions, one must be closer to the answer itself.
Human’s capability to question things around the universe is limited – some
things are just beyond the reach of the human brain. Thus, it is important to
know what you want to know – and this is where proper investigation starts.