Two new particles made of exotic types of quarks have appeared inside the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva, Switzerland. The particles are never-before-seen species of baryons—a category of particles that also includes the familiar protons and neutrons inside atoms. The new baryons had been long predicted to exist, but their specific characteristics, such as their mass, were unknown until they were discovered in the flesh. The new measurements serve to confirm and refine the existing theory of subatomic particles and help pave the way for a deeper theory that could include even more exotic particles.
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Baryons include familiar particles like protons and neutrons, which are held together by strong force. (The other fundamental forces in the universe are gravity, electromagnetism, and weak force. Strong force holds particles together; weak force makes particles decay.) Scientists understand the basic theory of strong force, and they can use the theory to estimate the sizes and masses of different baryons. But the mathematical equations behind strong force are incredibly complex.
That's because the particles they apply to have some wacky characteristics. Part of a baryon's mass can spontaneously burst into and out of existence.This weird flux makes it difficult to use strong force to predict their mass. Physicists test their predictions against real data collected by particle accelerators like the LHC to see if they're on the right track.
You know, one day I would actually like to start understanding this stuff. But in my mind there's a biT of a gap between the simple physics I was taught in school and this wacky witchdoctory subatomic particle shiz.
You know, one day I would actually like to start understanding this stuff. But in my mind there's a biT of a gap between the simple physics I was taught in school and this wacky witchdoctory subatomic particle shiz.
Same. I'd love to delve into this outside of school but I just don't have the time right now. Maybe in college, though let's not jump ahead too far yet
Same. I'd love to delve into this outside of school but I just don't have the time right now. Maybe in college, though let's not jump ahead too far yet
I learned about all of the forces in physics, not chemistry(surprisingly).
Time to go on a Wikipedia spiral. 
