Exploring Charmness and Strangeness of Quarks

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In summary, the quark table conventionally assigns a strangeness of -1 to the s quark due to historical reasons. This was done to maintain consistency with the strange quark's role in the quark model and the presence of the K+ particle. Similarly, the direction of currents was assigned before the understanding of fundamental physics, leading to a humorous situation where they appear to flow the wrong way.
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WhiteRhasta
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Ive noticed when we are viewing the quark table in particular its charmness, and strangeness we know; c quark has a charmness of +1, but the strangeness of an s quark = -1. I would like to better understand why. Is it not thought that the s quark has a strangness of +1?
 
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WhiteRhasta said:
Ive noticed when we are viewing the quark table in particular its charmness, and strangeness we know; c quark has a charmness of +1, but the strangeness of an s quark = -1. I would like to better understand why. Is it not thought that the s quark has a strangness of +1?

It's purely conventional. The reason it was assigned minus one is a historical one.
 
  • #3
Lol. understandable... I knew there had to be a more as you put "conventional" meaning. It was beginning to really put a damper on the day. Thanks nrged.
 
  • #4
The reason s has the "wrong-sign" strangeness is because before people understood about quarks, they understood Kaons. There was a particle called the "K+" - as it had electric charge +1, they understandably decided to give it strangeness "+1" as well.

Then along came the quark model, where the "strangeness" quantum number was affiliated with the presence of a strange quark. The only problem was that the K+ was described in the quark model as a (up - ANTIstrange) bound state. So they had to assign the strange quark's strangeness quantum number as -1 to be consistent.

Hey, Ben Franklin decided that the currents flow from positive charge to negative charge. He had a 50-50 chance of being right, and at the time there was no way to measure the charge of the electron (in fact, they didn't even know about electrons!) - so now the convention is set, and currents look like they flow the wrong way! Of course it doesn't really matter, but it's kinda amusing. :wink:

That's the problem when charges are assigned BEFORE people understand what the "fundamental" physics is. But we do what we can.
 
  • #5
Thats right blechman, and it is rather humorous when you think about the flow of currents and how they have been positioned or assigned through strangeness. As in Ben Franklin's case, Sometimes you've got to learn things the hard way. lol. Thanks for your insight.
 

Related to Exploring Charmness and Strangeness of Quarks

1. What are quarks?

Quarks are fundamental particles that make up the building blocks of matter. They are considered the smallest particles that make up protons and neutrons, which in turn make up the atoms that make up all matter in the universe.

2. What are the different types of quarks?

There are six types of quarks: up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom. Up and down quarks are the most commonly found in everyday matter, while charm and strange quarks are considered more exotic and are often studied in high-energy particle collisions.

3. What is the relationship between charmness and strangeness of quarks?

The charmness and strangeness of quarks are both properties that describe their behavior in interactions with other particles. Charmness refers to a quark's ability to change into another type of quark through the strong nuclear force, while strangeness refers to a quark's tendency to decay into lighter particles through the weak nuclear force.

4. How do scientists explore the charmness and strangeness of quarks?

Scientists use particle accelerators to study high-energy collisions between particles, including quarks. By analyzing the particles produced in these collisions, they can learn more about the behavior and properties of quarks, including their charmness and strangeness.

5. Why is it important to study the charmness and strangeness of quarks?

Studying the charmness and strangeness of quarks can help scientists better understand the fundamental forces and particles that make up our universe. It can also provide insights into the origins of matter and the nature of the strong and weak nuclear forces, which are crucial to our understanding of the universe at a subatomic level.

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