• Question: What are quarks and what are they made of?

    Asked by farm520quay on 28 Jun 2025.
    • Photo: Martin McCoustra

      Martin McCoustra answered on 28 Jun 2025:

      Quarks are sub-atomic particles that make up protons and neutrons. They come in several flavours and are one of the families of particles that build up to make matter.

Comments

  • Photo: Joel

    Joel commented on :

    As far as we know, quarks are not made of anything else, but (along with electrons and similar particles) are the basic building blocks of nature.

    You are made of cells, the cells are made of molecules, the molecules are made of atoms, the atoms are made of electrons and nuclei, the nuclei are made of protons and neutrons, and the protons and neutrons are made of quarks.

    That is where the story ends at the moment, but it is quite possible that future scientific discoveries may show that quarks (and perhaps electrons) are made of other, more fundamental, constituents.