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CEBAF @ 12GeV
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Quarks and the Strong Force

From the stars overhead to the atoms in our own human DNA, all matter is composed of fundamental particles — particles that cannot be divided into smaller parts.

Quarks, we believe, are among the few fundamental particles in the universe. There are six types of quarks (up, down, charm, strange, top, and bottom). The lightest quarks — called up and down — are the most common.

Quarks are bound to each other by the strongest force in the universe. Called simply the strong force, this enormous force binds them so tightly that one quark cannot exist by itself.

Glued by the strong force, quarks are the building blocks of matter as we know it. Understanding quarks and the strong force is fundamental to the universe, our world, and ourselves.

Did you know one quark can never be alone?




content by Allison Lung
maintained by webmaster@jlab.org
updated December 17, 2007