A-tom!

I think that its quite confusing that there are theoretically infinite values for some properties of an electron. This doesn't really make sense to me since electrons are supposed to be one of the mall building blocks of all matter.

This section is all about Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). In QED, the field is broken down into more particles. These particles are not matter, however. The are particles "of the field" (messenger particles/photons).

Lederman's sense of humour is still apparent this far into the book. He writes that he begged that a new particle be proposed and that it be call the Lee-on. This didn't fly.

The neutron decays into a proton, electron and a neutrino (little neutral one). The force responsible for this reaction in the nucleus is called the weak force. The neutrino has no charge and almost no mass.

In the bound nucleus, the proton can "give rise" to a neutron, a positron, and a neutrino.

All the hadrons (protons, neutrons, and their hundreds of cousins) decay with weak force. The free proton is the only exception.

It has been determined that there are at least two neutrinos in nature: -electron neutrino (Ve)

-muon neutrino (Vµ)

The electron (e), and the muon (µ).

There are three families of pion: -kaons (K+,K-,K0) neutral has an antiparticle

-sigma (∑+,∑-,∑0) neutral has an antiparticle

-isospin (π+,π-,π0) neutral has an antiparticle

Three quarks were discovered in 1964: -up (u) with a charge of +2/3 has an antiquark

-down (d) with a charge of -1/3 has an antiquark

-strange (s) with a charge of -1/3 has an antiquark

The quarks produce Baryons (group of 3 quarks eg/ uud is a proton), and Mesons (pair of one quark and one antiquark)

A new quark, the charm (c), was found in 1976 followed by the beauty (b) in 1977, and the theoretical "truth" (t)

Two new leptons are also believed to be in existence since the discovery of the truth, the tau neutrino(Vt) and the tau (t).

The data insist that there must be three massive messenger particles: a W+, W-, and a Z0.

The other forces are: -electromagnetism

-weak force

-strong force

-photon (y)

-eight gluons

The only problem with the a-tom is that the truth quark hasn't been seen yet and that gravity hasnt been is missing from the forces.