A Level AQA Physics 2 hours 14 questions

Structured Questions

Classification of
Particles
Hadrons / Baryons / Mesons / Leptons / Quarks & Antiquarks / Strange Quarks /
Collaborative Efforts in Particle Physics

Easy (5 questions) /48 Scan here to return to the course

Hard (4 questions) /43

Total Marks /142

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Easy Questions
1 (a) The strong nuclear force holds nucleons together inside the nucleus of an atom. It is
mediated by exchange particles, which are constantly exchanged between the nucleons
themselves.

State the name of the exchange particle for the strong nuclear force.

(1 mark)

(b) The exchange particle of the strong nuclear force is a type of hadron.

Define the term ‘hadron’.

(2 marks)

(c) Another type of hadron is the K+ meson, which has a strangeness +1.

(i) State the quark composition of a meson

(ii) State the baryon number of a K+ meson

(iii) Determine the quark composition of a K+ meson

(4 marks)

(d) Describe the likely decay route between kaons and pions.

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 (1 mark)

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2 (a) From the following set of particles

p n⎯⎯ μ + e + γ

identify all examples of:

(i) hadrons,

(ii) leptons,

(iii) antiparticles,

(iv) charged particles,

(v) exchange particles.

(5 marks)

(b) State the quark composition of

(i) a proton,

(ii) an antineutron.

(2 marks)

(c) A sigma plus particle,∑+ , is a baryon and has a strangeness –1.

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 Complete the missing information in Table 1 for the ∑+.

Table 1

Number of quarks

Number of strange quarks

Baryon number

(3 marks)

(d) State the name of the particle to which the sigma plus ∑ + will eventually decay.

(1 mark)

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3 (a) State the name of the three flavours (or types) of quark.

(3 marks)

(b) By referring to the charge on quarks, explain why the proton has a charge of +1e.

(2 marks)

(c) The discovery that the proton (and indeed, the neutron) was not a fundamental particle
was a major accomplishment in particle physics.

(i) Explain what is meant by the term ‘fundamental particle’

(ii) State the name of a particle that is – to our most current knowledge – fundamental

(2 marks)

(d) Discoveries in particle physics are usually made in very large particle accelerators, like
the discovery of the Higgs Boson in the Large Hadron Collider at CERN.

Suggest two reasons why collaboration among many scientists and organisations is
necessary for new discoveries in particle physics.

(2 marks)

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4 (a) A baryon is a type of hadron.

Draw lines in Figure 1 below to indicate the baryon number for each particle listed.

The first has been done for you.

(4 marks)

(b) During β + decay, a nuclear proton p turns into a neutron n, and the nucleus emits a
high energy positron (a β + particle) and a neutrino. This process is summarised by the
nuclear decay equation below:

p → n + β+ + v e

By referring to the baryon number of each particle in the nuclear decay equation,
explain why this decay is allowed by the laws of physics.

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 (3 marks)

(c) Without reference to baryon number, compare a proton and a neutron.

(2 marks)

(d) Hadrons account for a large percentage of all matter in the known universe. Atoms are
mostly comprised of baryons.

State the name of another type of hadron.

(1 mark)

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5 (a) Classification in physics involves grouping matter particles together according to distinct
properties. The ‘Standard Model’ of physics groups particles together according to the
forces they interact with, and according to conserved quantities like baryon number.

Figure 1 shows a typical way in which matter particles in the standard model are
grouped.

Figure 1

Some of the information is missing.

Complete the missing information in the spaces provided in Figure 1.

(3 marks)

(b) Strange particles are particles which include a strange quark, and strange quarks have a
strangeness equal to –1­.

Strangeness is a quantum number which, unlike baryon and lepton number, is not
always conserved in particle interactions.

(i) Identify a type of particle that includes a strange quark

(ii) State the interaction which does not conserve strangeness

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 (2 marks)

(c) Leptons are fundamental particles.

Table 1 shows four types of leptons: the electron e­–, the muon μ –, the electron neutrino
v e , and the muon neutrino v μ .

Table 1

Electron, e Muon, μ Electron Muon neutrino,

Electron lepton
number

Muon lepton
number

Complete the missing information in Table 1.

(4 marks)

⎯⎯
(d) State the muon lepton number of an anti-muon neutrino, v .
μ

(1 mark)

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Medium Questions
1 (a) Hadrons fall into two sub-groups.

Write the name of each subgroup and describe the general quark structure of each. Give
one example of a particle from any subgroup.

(4 marks)

(b) State the quark composition of an anti-proton and an anti-neutron.

(2 marks)

(c) Determine the number of up quarks in 55 Cr

(3 marks)

(d) Determine the number of down quarks in 55 Cr .

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 (3 marks)

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2 (a) Table 1 gives information about some fundamental particles.

Table 1

Particle Quark structure Charge Strangeness Baryon Number

⎯⎯
u⎯⎯ u⎯⎯ d -1

sigma+ (∑+) +1 +1

pion π− -1 0

Complete the table by filling in the missing information.

(3 marks)

(b) Cosmic ray showers are a source of high-energy pions and kaons.

State the group of particles that pions and kaons belong to and determine the charge on
⎯⎯
a kaon with a quark structure of us .

(2 marks)

(c) Kaons have a lifetime of 1.24 × 10–8 s whilst pions have a lifetime of 8.0 × 10–17 s.

Suggest a reason why you would expect kaons to have a longer lifetime.

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 (1 mark)

(d) Another strange particle, Y , decays in the following way:

Y → π− + p
State the interaction that produces the strange particle and the interaction that is
involved in its decay.

(2 marks)

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3 (a) Write an equation representing a kaon decay.

(1 mark)

(b) Table 1 shows three particles, two pions and one kaon.

Table 1

Particle Quark combination

π+

K−

π0

Complete Table 1 to show the correct quark combinations.

(3 marks)

(c) One of the lambda (Λ ) baryons has a quark structure of uds .

Determine the following properties of the lambda baryon:

Charge

Baryon number

Lepton number

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 Strangeness

(4 marks)

(d) State the following properties of the anti-particle of the lambda baryon:

Charge

Baryon number

Lepton number

Strangeness

(4 marks)

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4 (a) State a property that distinguishes a lepton from other subatomic particles.

(1 mark)

(b) Table 1 gives information about some leptons.

Table 1

Lepton symbol Name Relative Charge Lepton Number

e+ +1

muon +1

⎯⎯ antielectron neutrino
ve

muon neutrino 0

Complete Table 1 by filling in the missing information.

(4 marks)

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(c) A negative muon ( μ − ) may decay into three leptons

Complete the equation representing the muon decay.

(2 marks)

(d) Particle physics is a collaborative effort and there are have been considerable advances
in this field over the past 100 years.

Explain why it is necessary for large teams of scientists and engineers to collaborate and
validate new knowledge for these advances to occur.

(2 marks)

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5 (a) Determine the baryon number of an alpha (α) particle.

(2 marks)

(b) Particle X has the following characteristics shown in Table 1.

Table 1

Particle Baryon number Relative Charge Lepton number Strangeness

X +1 +1 0 -1

Using Table 1, determine the quark composition of particle X and through which type of
interaction it will decay.

(4 marks)

(c) State which baryon particle X will eventually decay into and explain your answer.

(2 marks)

⎯⎯
(d) Explain why a baryon with quark structure u ud cannot exist.

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 (2 marks)

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Hard Questions
1 (a) The ‘eightfold way’ is an organisational scheme for subatomic particles. This question
uses the eightfold way to organise mesons.

Physicists like to organise mesons in this way because certain symmetries appear if their
strangeness is plotted against their electric charge.

Figure 1 shows a plot of the eightfold way. Six particles and their quark compositions
are shown at the vertices of a hexagon. The centre of the hexagon represents particles
called neutral pions.

Vertices are linked by horizontal axes, labelled S, and diagonal axes labelled q. Some
additional information is missing from Figure 1.

Deduce the meaning of the labels S and q in Figure 1 and explain your reasoning for
both.

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 (4 marks)

⎯⎯⎯ 0
(b) Use Figure 1 to determine the quark composition of the K+ , π+ , K and K− .

(4 marks)

(c) Deduce a possible quark composition for a neutral pion and explain your reasoning.

(2 marks)

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2 (a) The baryon decuplet is a vision tool used by particle physicists to classify groups of
particles called baryons.

Discuss the properties of baryons.

(4 marks)

(b) In the baryon decuplet, strangeness S is plotted on the horizontal axes and charge Q is
plotted on the diagonal axes, as shown in Figure 1. Some information is missing.

Figure 1

Deduce the quark composition of the Ω– baryon, using each axis to justify your answer.

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 (3 marks)

(c) Deduce the quark composition and an appropriate symbol for the missing baryon in
Figure 1.

(4 marks)

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3 (a) The discovery of the Higgs Boson marked a huge accomplishment for particle physicists.

The Higgs Boson was hypothesised by Peter Higgs and his team in 1964 as a mechanism
to explain why some particles have mass. It was discovered by a large collaborative effort
at the CERN particle physics laboratory in 2012.

Explain what is meant by the term ‘hypothesised’ and suggest why it took over forty
years to discover the Higgs Boson.

(3 marks)

(b) The experimental results which hinted at the existence of a new particle caught the
attention of media worldwide.

While public excitement grew, the scientists involved in the experiment were cautious
before confirming that the results proved the existence of a new particle. In fact,
confirmation came many months after the first set of results were reported.

Discuss why it takes many months after results are first discovered to confirm the
existence of a new particle.

(3 marks)

(c) Other exciting results from experiments in particle physics have contributed to the field’s
considerable advances over the past 100 years.

Discuss why collaboration between scientists and engineers is necessary in order for
such advances to be made.

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 (4 marks)

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4 (a) A young student of physics reads up about particles and anti-particles.

In their physics lesson, they excitedly tell their teacher how they learned that a proton
has an anti-particle called an anti-proton, and the neutron has an anti-particle called an
anti-neutron.

They go on to say that, since the neutron is neutrally charged, it is its own anti-particle.

Identify the student’s misconception and explain why they are incorrect.

(3 marks)

(b) Suggest another particle which is an example of being its own anti-particle and explain
your reasoning.

(2 marks)

(c) Interactions between protons and neutrons can temporarily violate conservation laws.

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 One such interaction is shown in Figure 1:

(i) Identify the type of interaction shown in Figure 1.

(ii) By referencing the properties of the exchange particle, explain how it temporarily
violates conservation laws.

(3 marks)

(d) The extent to which conservation laws can be violated is governed by Heisenberg’s
Uncertainty Principle.

Simply put, this principle says that the uncertainty in some quantity of energy ΔE
multiplied by the uncertainty in a time interval Δt must always be constant. This can be
written as:

h
ΔE × Δt =
4π

The range of the strong force is around 1 × 10–15 m.

Assuming the strong force is mediated at near the speed of light, show that pions are
about 200 times more massive than electrons.

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You may use the energy-mass equation:

E = mc2

(4 marks)

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