CAIE A-Level Physics AS 11.2 Fundamental Particles Questions

Practise classifying quarks, leptons, baryons and mesons by charge and composition, using uud and udd structures and distinguishing fundamental particles from hadrons.

Exam points

classify quarks, antiquarks, baryons and mesons by flavour, charge and composition
use uud and udd quark compositions to describe protons, neutrons and beta-decay changes
identify leptons and distinguish fundamental particles from composite hadrons

Covered syllabus points

11.2.1—A quark is a fundamental particle and that there are six flavours (types) of 11.2.2—The charge of each flavour of quark and understand that its respective 11.2.3—That protons and neutrons are not fundamental particles and describe protons 11.2.4—A hadron may be either a baryon (consisting of three quarks) or a meson 11.2.5—The changes to quark composition that take place during β– and β+ decay 11.2.6—That electrons and neutrinos are fundamental particles called leptons

[Maximum number: 4]

(a)

State the name of the class (group) of fundamental particles that contains a neutrino.

[ 1 ]

(b)

A hadron P has a charge of +1 e, where e is the elementary charge. The hadron P is composed of a down antiquark and only one other quark.

[ 2 ]

(i)

Identify a possible flavour for this other quark.

[ 1 ]

(ii)

State what type of hadron is P .

[ 1 ]

(c)

Nucleus Q undergoes radioactive decay to form nucleus R, emitting an antineutrino and another particle X, as shown in the decay equation.

Q \rightarrow R+X+\bar{v}

[ 1 ]

(i)

Compare the charges of Q and R.

[ 1 ]

[Maximum number: 1]

The diagrams show the quark composition of four different hadrons. One of the hadrons is a $\Sigma^{+}$ particle. It has a charge of +e, where e is the elementary charge.

Which hadron could be the $\Sigma^{+}$ particle?

Figure for Question 2 — CAIE A-Level Physics AS — Option A

Figure for Question 2 — CAIE A-Level Physics AS — Option B

Figure for Question 2 — CAIE A-Level Physics AS — Option C

Figure for Question 2 — CAIE A-Level Physics AS — Option D

key
u = up quark
d= down quark
s= strange quark

[Maximum number: 1]

Which particle is not a fundamental particle?

electron

neutrino

neutron

top quark

[Maximum number: 1]

A hadron P has a charge of +1 e, where e is the elementary charge. The hadron P is composed of a down antiquark and only one other quark.

Identify a possible flavour for this other quark.

[Maximum number: 1]

Which type of particle is comprised of the most quarks?

antiquark

baryon

lepton

meson

[Maximum number: 1]

A nucleus of carbon-10, ${ }_{6}^{10} \mathrm{C}$ , decays by beta-emission to form a nucleus of boron-10, ${ }_{5}^{10} \mathrm{~B}$ .

For this decay process, what is the change to a nucleon and what is the change in the quark composition of the nucleon?

change to nucleon

change in
quark composition

proton to neutron

down becomes up

proton to neutron

up becomes down

neutron to proton

down becomes up

neutron to proton

up becomes down

[Maximum number: 1]

40 Which particle is a lepton?

meson

positron

proton

quark

All question bank results loaded

Covered syllabus points

Question 1

Question (a)

Question (b)

Question (i)

Question (ii)

Question (c)

Question (i)

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4

Question 5

Question 6

Question 7