What Are the Flavors of Quarks?

Quarks are subatomic particles that are the building blocks of matter. Protons and neutrons, which are components of all atoms, are made up of quarks, according to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's The Particle Adventure website. The six varieties, or flavors, of quarks are up, down, charm, strange, top and bottom. Scientists usually refer to quarks in pairs.
  1. Up and Down

    • Up and down quarks are the most common quarks and have the least amount of mass, according to Hyperphysics at Georgia State University. Up and down quarks make up protons and neutrons. The up quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of +2/3, while the down quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of -1/3.

    Charm and Strange

    • The charm and strange quark flavors are part of the second generation of matter. The strange quark got its name from unexpected -- or strange -- results from a collision between a proton and a nucleus, according to Hyperphysics. The strange quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of -1/3. The charm quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of +2/3.

    Top and Bottom

    • The top quark is the most elusive quark and its existence was theorized for 20 years before evidence proved it in 1995, according to The Particle Adventure. The top quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of +2/3 and the bottom quark has a spin of 1/2 and a charge of -1/3, according to Hyperphysics.

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