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We have answered the questions,
"What is the world made of?"
and
"What holds it together?"
The world is made of six quarks and six leptons. Everything we see is a conglomeration of quarks
and leptons.
There are four fundamental forces and there are force carrier particles associated with
each force.
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We have also discussed how a particle's state (set of quantum numbers) may affect how it
interacts with other particles.
These are the essential aspects of the Standard Model. It is the most complete explanation of the fundamental particles
and interactions to date.
Names and descriptions are only a small
part of any physical theory; the concepts, rather than physics vocabulary,
are the critical elements.
The Contemporary Physics Education Project has
summarized the essential aspects of the Standard Model in a single chart. This site includes an electronic version
of this chart, but you can also order your own copy from CPEP.
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