King Edward VI School Year 12 Physics Homework

Unit 1 Homework 4
Classifying Particles

29 marks

KEY I = Improvement needed Total Mark

✓ = OK

Calculations General

Correct choice of formula All Questions Attempted

Correct substitution of values Knowledge and Understanding

Appropriate amount of content

Use of units
for marks available

Significant Figures Response to Command words

Comment

Unit 1 Homework 4 Classifying Particles

King Edward VI School Year 12 Physics Homework

1. (i) Name two hadrons.

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

(ii) Name two leptons which are also antiparticles.

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................

(iii) State a possible quark structure of the pion 0.

A table of the properties of quarks is given in the Data Sheet.

....................................................................................................................................

(iv) A K– kaon is a strange particle.

State one characteristic of a strange particle.

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................
(Total 4 marks)

2. (a) State whether or not each of the following properties of a baryon is conserved when it
decays by the weak interaction.

Charge ........................................................................................................................

baryon number ...........................................................................................................

strangeness ............................................................................................................................
(2)

(b) State, with a reason, whether or not each of the following particle reactions is possible.

(i) p + – → K– + +

..........................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................

(ii) p + v → n + e+

Unit 1 Homework 4 Classifying Particles

King Edward VI School Year 12 Physics Homework

..........................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................

..........................................................................................................................
(4)
(Total 6 marks)

3. A carbon-14 nucleus undergoes – decay, forming a new nucleus, releasing a – particle and
one other particle which is difficult to detect.

(a) Write down the proton number and the nucleon number of the new nucleus.

proton number ............................................................................................................

nucleon number ..........................................................................................................

(b) Name the particle which is difficult to detect.

....................................................................................................................................

(c) Name the baryons and leptons involved in the decay.

baryons .......................................................................................................................

leptons ........................................................................................................................

(d) Give the quark structure for the neutron and the proton.

neutron .......................................................................................................................

proton .........................................................................................................................

Hence state the quark transformation that occurs during – decay.

....................................................................................................................................
(Total 7 marks)

4. (a) There are a number of ways in which u, d and s quarks and their associated antiparticles
may be combined to form mesons. Use the table ‘properties of quarks’, in the Data Sheet,
to complete parts (i) to (iii).

(i) The kaon K– has a strangeness –1. Write down its quark composition.

K– .....................................................................................................................

(ii) The kaons K0 and K+ both have strangeness +1. Write down their quark
composition.

Unit 1 Homework 4 Classifying Particles

King Edward VI School Year 12 Physics Homework

K0 .....................................................................................................................

K+ .....................................................................................................................

(iii) Write down the quark composition of a proton.

p .......................................................................................................................
(5)

(b) In the strong interaction,

K– + p → K0 + K+ + X,

deduce the quark composition of, and state the type of, hadron represented by X.

....................................................................................................................................

....................................................................................................................................
(2)

(c) A positive muon may decay to a positron and two neutrinos. Write down an equation
representing the muon decay.

+ →
(2)
(Total 9 marks)

5.
Which line correctly classifies the particle shown?

Quark
Particle Category combinatio
n

A neutron baryon ūd

B neutron meson udd

C proton baryon uud

D positive pion meson ūd

(Total 1 mark)

Unit 1 Homework 4 Classifying Particles

King Edward VI School Year 12 Physics Homework

6.
What are the numbers of hadrons, baryons and mesons in an atom of 73Li?

hadrons baryons mesons

A 7 3 3

B 7 4 4

C 7 7 0

D 10 7 0
(Total 1 mark)

7.
Which of the following is not true?

A Each meson consists of a single quark and a single

antiquark.

B Each baryon consists of three quarks.

C The magnitude of the charge on every quark is

A particle consisting of a single quark has not been

D
observed.
(Total 1 mark)

Unit 1 Homework 4 Classifying Particles